I Can't Stay Away
by eloquences
Summary: Clare gets new neighbors; the Goldsworthy's. Turns out she and Eli's parents have long history and are at war with each other. Their parents forbid them to see each other, but when the two find an attraction to each other, they can't stay away.
1. New neighbors

I Can't Stay Away Chapter 1

**I am only saying this once: I do NOT in any way or form own Degrassi. **

**K so, I was writing this with my Bestie, and when I wrote "Clare's POV" she stared at the screen and asked, "Clare's Power of Vagina?" LMFAO. I just about died laughing.**

**Another story? Yes! :)**

**Clare will be OOC**

**Warning: Smut will be in this story. ;) It just makes it more fun ;)**

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><p><strong>Summary: <strong>Clare gets new neighbors; the Goldsworthy's. Turns out she and Eli's parents have long history and are at war with each other. Their parents forbid them to see each other, but when the two find an attraction to each other, they can't stay away.

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV<strong>_

I flipped the page of my book, my eyes glued to it. They scanned over every word carefully as I bit my lip, too absorbed into the book to notice the air became a bit chilly. I sat outside on my balcony, resting in a chair while my legs were propped up on the little table as I held the book up to my face. I had begun reading the book last night and now I am almost done. I love to read- no, I adore reading. I just love how you can suddenly be transported to another world just by reading a few words.

"Clare?" I jumped in my seat, placing my hand over my rapidly beating heart. I turned my head to see my mother, Helen, standing in the doorway that leads to my room. "What are you doing out here? It's freezing."

I glanced around, realizing the air was a bit cold. I noticed the goose bumps on my skin, making me run my hand over them. I lifted my hand and brought it to my cheek, taking note just on how cold my fingers felt against my cheek.

"Didn't notice." I finally answered, holding up the book I was reading.

My mother chuckled softly, "Ah, you were reading, big shocker." I rolled my eyes and chuckled along with her.

"Don't mean to be rude mom, but what do you want?"

"Oh, right. We are getting new neighbors. They are just moving in so I was thinking we could go introduce ourselves." New neighbors? Why am I just finding this out now? No one ever tells me anything and it pisses me off!

"And by introduce ourselves you mean me go over and see if their some crazy stalker people?" I stated, knowing where she wanted to take this.

"Well, I wasn't going to say _that_."

"But you were thinking it." I stated, a smirk playing at my lips. She didn't say anything, but the look on her face told me I was right. I laughed lightly and agreed nonetheless. "Yes mother, I will go over there and see if their crazy." I gasped, "Who knows, maybe they have saws for hands." I teased, making her roll her eyes.

She threw her scarf over her shoulder and turned to walk out of my room, "Stop being so overdramatic."

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><p>I took one last look at my outfit, smiling. I had on a pair of dark wash jean shorts, a black t-shirt with Evanescence written on it and my black converse. I didn't want to dress up just to meet these new neighbors, I wanted to feel comfortable. I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen where my mother was. her back was facing me as she was making something at the counter.<p>

I puffed my cheeks and walked over to the side window, examining the house next door. I had never paid much attention to it before, but now that i actually looked at it, I realized it is almost identical to my house. I shrugged and walked back over to my mom and jumped up on the counter beside her.

"Clare, get off the counter!" My mom yelled, smacking my legs with a spoon.

"Ow, ow, okay, okay." I jumped off of the counter, rubbing my legs. "Jeez mom, no need to get abusive."

She rolled her eyes and a smiled. This is what I love about my mom. She and I have a unique relationship. She is like my best friend, but in a motherly kind of way. She is always there to listen if I need her and she never judges me. We can joke around with each other without her getting pissed off at me. She lets me go anywhere I want, whenever I want. She knows I wont take advantage of my freedom, mostly because I don't have anyone to take advantage of it with, but also because she trusts me.

"So remember, when you go over there, invite them over for dinner tomorrow night.."

"Yes mother, I know."

I watched as she finished her touches to a pie she was making and I couldn't help but laugh. She looked up at me confused and asked, "What?"

"Mom, I am not bringing that over there." I said, jumping off of the counter and walking over to the cupboard. I reached up and grabbed the vanilla icing before retreating back over to my mother and leaning against the counter.

"Why not?" she frowned.

"Because, bringing over a pie screams desperate." I told her, taking the lid off of the icing.

"No, it doesn't scream anything. It just shows that we are polite people."

"Then why don't you come with me?" I asked, dipping my finger in the icing and bringing it to my lips before licking it off.

She sighed, "Because I have to call your father."

I paused my actions and slowly pulled my finger from my mouth. I gulped and turned around slowly placing the icing container on the counter. My mother and father have only spoken once sine the divorce and that was only to see who would live in the house and who would move out.

I turned to look at her to see that she had a look that said she didn't want to talk to dad, but she had to. My mom was okay with the divorce, that's not what bothers her, its just that my mother and father were very close before they even got married. They were best friends, and because of this divorce, their friendship was ruined.

"About what?" I asked.

"That's none of your business, Clare." she said coldly. I was taken aback by this and once she realized how she sounded, she turned to me with an apologetic look. She was about to speak but I cut her off.

"I'll be back in a little bit." I told her, heading for the door.

I grabbed my leather jacket and put it on before making my way outside. I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath, walking down the steps and over to our new neighbors door. I noticed the movie truck was still in the driveway and a few men were walking back and forth between the truck and the garage, carrying stuff inside of it. I then noticed there was a hearse parked inside of the garage. What kind of family owns a hearse?

I walked up their steps and knocked politely. It didn't take long for a middle aged woman, who look no older than my own mother, with blonde hair and green eyes to open the door. She had dark wash skinny jeans on and a black t-shirt. She looked very rock 'n' roll-ish.

"Hi, I'm Clare, I just live next door." I pointed to my house.

The woman's smile dropped and she sighed. "What has my son done now?"

I pinned my eyebrows together, "Uhh, that's not why I'm here."

She looked embarrassed as she laughed at herself, "I'm sorry. It's just normally I get complaints form our old neighbors and I thought he _already_ got in trouble." Wow, this son of hers sound pretty... interesting. "Let's start over. Hi, I'm CeCe."

I laughed and shook her hand, "Hello CeCe. I just came over here to invite you for dinner tomorrow night." I said politely.

She smiled, "That would be lovely, thank you for the invite."

"No problem. So you'll come?" I asked, hopeful. I didn't know what it was, but I like this woman. Just a vibe from her makes me want to get to know her. She seems pretty cool.

"I just have to check with my husband first."

"That's fine. Just let me know."

Just as I was about to turn and leave, an old man with greasy hair appeared behind the woman, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He looked like he just woke up.

"This big guy here would be him, Bullfrog." CeCe smiled. Bullfrog? That better be a nickname.

"Hi, I'm Clare." I said, shaking the mans hand.

"Clare is our new neighbor." CeCe smiled to Bullfrog. "She invited us for dinner tomorrow night."

"You cook?" Bullfrog asked.

"No... my mom will be the one making the dinner. She would have came over, but she has some business to take car of." I answered, feeling very awkward.

"Oh," Bullfrog laughed, "I'm sorry. Today has just been hectic. With all the moving and everything, it's been a rough day."

"It's okay" We all let out a little chuckle.

Suddenly, a boy emerged from the stairs, walking towards us. I noticed he wasn't even paying attention as he walked by us and towards what I'm guessing is the kitchen, since their house is similar to mine. I had to press my lips together to keep from smiling as the boy backed up and turned to look at me with a confused expression. He cocked his head to the side slightly and squinted his eyes. I lifted my hand and waved to him, trying so hard not to laugh as he lifted his hand and waved back, the confused expression still on his face.

CeCe and Bullfrog noticed that I was looking elsewhere and turned towards the boy.

"Oh, Eli, didn't see you there." CeCe started as she and Bullfrog moved out of the way to reveal me more. "This is Clare. Clare, this is our son, Elijah."

"It's Eli." the boy stated, glaring at his mother who put her hands up in defense.

"Well _Eli_, from what your parents tell me, your quite the trouble maker." I stated as he stuffed his hands in the pocket of his skinny jeans.

Eli shrugged and licked his lips, "I try."

He smirked and I smiled. Our eyes were locked and I couldn't help but notice his intense green eyes. They were hypnotizing and most definitely the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen. My gaze fell to his perfectly shaped pink lips that were formed into a smirk, then his perfectly structured jaw. His dark shaggy hair fell partly over his eyes, but still made them stand out. I had to admit, this guy was very good looking.

"Eli, we are invited to have dinner over at Clare's house tomorrow night." CeCe explained, making Eli tear his gaze form mine to look at her.

He nodded and turned back to me. I raised my eyebrows at him and he only smirked.

"Would you like to come in?" Eli asked, motioning inside.

I looked over to CeCe and Bullfrog who were smiling at me as I pondered on if I should go home or not. Mom did say she was going to be talking to dad, and it's not like I had anything else to do. Plus, this family intrigues me. I would like to get to know them.

"Sure." I smiled and stepped inside, closing the door behind me.

Once I was inside I could actually see that the house was almost identical to mine. The only thing different was the furniture. I looked to my right and saw the kitchen, looking identical to mine, but with boxes everywhere. I looked over to my left and saw the stairs were the same also.

"Why don't you guys go upstairs so Eli can begin to unpack?" CeCe said, motioning to the stairs.

Eli put his arm out, motioning me to go ahead of him. I took the offer and headed up the stairs with him trailing behind. We made it to the top of the stairs and to the end of the hallway. Eli turned to a door and I raised my eyebrows. His room is where my room is in my house.

Eli opened the door and just as I stepped inside, I fell to the floor. The light turned on and I realized I had tripped on a box.

"Are you okay?" Eli asked, kneeling to my side.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said as I got up, dusting my clothes off with my hands.

"Sorry there's so many boxes. I didn't have a lot of time to unpack." He said. I looked around and noticed there were boxes everywhere. The only things unpacked were his bed, which lay in the middle of the room, his dresser and...

"Looks like you had enough time to hook up your game system." I said, pointing to the corner of the room where his game system was. He chuckled. I walked over and ran my fingers over the games he had. He had a lot but I couldn't find the one I was looking for.

"Do you have Black Ops?" I asked.

"You play Black Ops?" I turned to face him and nodded. He stared at me wide eyed and said, "Marry me."

I let out a short laugh and said, "_OR_ we could play Black Ops and I could kick your ass."

"You're on."

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><p>"No!"<p>

"Ha ha. yes!"

"Come on! Okay, my controller isn't working."

"Sure it's not. Your such a sore loser."

"I'm not a sore loser, I'm just letting you win."

"Then why you were complaining that your controller isn't working?"

"..."

"Exactly, and now that I distracted you with this pointless conversation I can now do this."

Eli finally turned his attention back to the game that we have been playing for two hours just in time to see me beat him. I jumped up from the bed and threw my hands in the air, screaming. "Yes! I win, what now sucker?" I started dancing around his room, not even caring that he was staring at me like I was a maniac.

He chuckled at me once I started doing the sprinkler.

"Okay, okay, you win. Now would you stop dancing like that?"

"Why? jealous that your not the one doing a victory dance?" I asked, now doing the lawnmower.

He scoffed and picked up one of his pillows, throwing it at me. I stopped dancing and glared at him, my hair covering most of my face now. I blew it out of my face and looked at a smirking Eli. I picked up the pillow and started hitting him with it, hearing him groan. He tried to lock the its but failed.

"Uncle, uncle!" he yelled out and stopped hitting him with the pillow, smiling in satisfactory.

"So," I breathed as I sat beside him on his bed, lying on my back. "What do you want to do?"

"Don't you have to go home?" Eli asked, making me sigh.

"Maybe... it's possible. But, my mom called my dad today and I'm not sure how the conversation went." I pinned my eyebrows together after I said this, trying to figure out why I just blurted that out. Normally it takes a while to get me to open up to someone. Eli and I have just been playing video games for a few hours and here I am, already talking about my family life.

"You're parents are divorced?"

"...Yeah. But I don't want to talk about it." I said, staring at the ceiling.

"Alright, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know, play a game?"

"We have just been playing video games for the past 2 hours." He chuckled.

"Not that kind of game, like 20 questions, truth or dare, you now, something to pass time." I shrugged.

"Fine, Truth or Dare?" Eli asked.

"Dare." I stated instantly. No matter who I am with, I always choose dare. I'd rather do something that makes me look like an idiot then tell someone one of my secrets.

"Okay..." Eli trailed off, thinking of a dare. "I dare you to go outside and scream."

I raised my eyebrows and turned my head to look at him. "That's it? _That's_ your big dare?"

Eli nodded and I laughed shortly as I got up and walked to his window. I opened the window and that's when I noticed my bedroom window was right across from his. I shrugged it off and stuck my head out the window, closing my eyes and letting out the loudest scream I could. Once I was done, I turned my head to the side and looked at the people who were walking down the sidewalk. They looked at me like I was crazy and I only waved in return with a smile on my face.

I brought my head back inside and turned to Eli, who had an amused smirk plastered on his lips. I went and sat down beside him on the end of his bed.

"You're turn." I stated. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"Okay... I dare you to show me something embarrassing that no one else has seen, besides your parents of course." I said, smiling as I swung my legs back and forth.

he pressed his lips to a line and looked around the room, looking at all of the boxes. he got up and walked to a box, opening it up and reaching inside. He pulled out a watch and brought it over to me, handing it to me.

"No way." I stated, staring at the spiderman watch in my hand.

"Yeah, I know, lame right?"

"No!" I said quickly, "Dude, I have the exact same one except mines superman." I smiled, handing him the watch.

He laughed, not believing me. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'll bring it over sometime." I smiled. he smiled back and sat down on the bed again.

"Truth or Dare?" He asked.

"Dare." I said, looking around his room. His walls were plain and barely anything was unpacked. I then remembered that he had just moved her today. It was weird but it felt like I've known this guy my whole life. He was so easy to talk to and get along with, it's crazy. And every time I look into his eyes I just lose myself. it's like I'm torn.

"I dare you to Kiss me."

I froze in my spot once I heard those words. Was he serious? My eyes stayed on his wall as the back of my head was facing him. I was glad he couldn't see me because if he could, he would be able to see the massive blush I have going on right now.

I licked my lips and moved my gaze around his room, unsure of what to do. I mean, he did dare me to do it. And it's a dare, so it wouldn't mean anything, right? I chewed on my bottom lip and made my decision. i took a deep breath and swiftly spun around so I was straddling his waist. he looked up at me, shocked and confused as to what just happened.

"What are you-"

Before he could finish I grabbed his face in my hands and pressed my lips to his, feeling the immediate spark and closing my eyes. He was tense at first but soon relaxed into the kiss, his hands finding my thighs. He moved his lips with mine, one of my hands sliding to the back of his head, playing with his hair. His hand rested on my bare thighs, his thumbs rubbing small circles, before he slid his hands up and wrapped his arms around my waist.

I deepened the kiss as I slid my tongue between his lips and into his mouth. His tongue immediately started playing with mine, his arms pulling my body closer to his. I moved closer to him, accidently rubbing up against him in the process, causing him to moan.

I broke the kiss and panted as I stared into his eyes, wondering why this felt so right.

"This is wrong." I breathed.

"I know, we just met." he responded.

We stared at each other for what seemed like forever, but was only a few seconds. He leaned up and crashed his lips to mine, but I didn't mind. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

We fell back on the bed and he rolled us over so he was on top of me. He positioned his lower body between my legs and I wrapped them around his waist. He smiled in the kiss and I couldn't help the butterflies in my stomach. Feeling him smile against my lips sent a shiver down my spine.

I bit his bottom lip, hearing him moan at the gesture. I smiled and kissed him once more before pulling away completely. We stared at each other, panting against each other's lips. We both began to laugh at how awkward this is. Here we are, practically strangers, right after we finished a hot make out session.

"ELIJAH!"

We both turned our head to the door after we heard CeCe scream Eli's name from downstairs. He sighed and bowed his head. "She knows I hate to be called that."

He rolled off of me and got up from the bed, me following in suit. I quickly fixed my hair and clothes, trying to make it look like we weren't making out up here. Eli opened the door and motioned my to go out first. I walked out and he followed as we both made our way down the stairs.

As downstairs came into view, I pinned my eyebrows as I saw my mother standing in the doorway, looking furious. _Maybe I should have called her..._

"Clare! There you are!" My mother yelled, making me jump.

"Here I am." I said cautiously. "Sorry I didn't call, we were just playing some games-"

"I don't care, come on, we're leaving." My mom interrupted.

"What's going on here?" Eli chimed in, walking beside me. I turned to look at Eli who looked at me and I gave him the 'I don't have a clue what's going on here' look.

"Clare, say goodbye to your friend." She said the word friend like it was the most disgusting thing in the world.

"But-"

"I think it's best if you leave now." CeCe said, glaring at my mother.

What the fuck is going on here?

I turned to Eli slowly to see he was looking just as confused as I was.

"Uh... it was nice meeting you." I said, still confused as to what's going on.

"You too." Eli said, still looking confused. I pressed my lips to a line as we shook hands, unsure of what else to do.

I slowly turned around and walked over to my mother, who roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me outside. I turned my head back to glance at Eli, who was watching me leave before the door closed.

I turned back and watched my angry mother as she pulled me across the lawn and to our house. She pulled my inside, slamming the door closed, making me jump. I watched as she paced around the living room, placing her hand on her forehead. Her fist was clenched as she puttered things to herself.

"What just happened?" I asked.

She ignored me and kept pacing the room and talking to herself. I tried to think of something that I did but I couldn't think of anything. Maybe it was dad. But then was CeCe looking mad also? What the hell was going on here?

"Mom, what the hell just happened? All I was doing was hanging out with Eli and-"

Before I could finish she turned to me and stormed over, standing really close to me. She glared at me and said something that made my eyes grow wide and my heart drop.

"You will _never_ see that boy again."

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><p><strong>So...? How was it? Was it too rushed? Did you like it? What do you thinks going on with Eli and Clare's parents? <strong>

**Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes. I tried looking over it but I was rushed off of the computer -_-**

**Also, if any of you are waiting for my other stories to be updated, I am working on them, I just needed to get this off my chest. I have been itching to write this for a while now and so I finally did. :)**

**Review and tell me what you think! :) **


	2. Breaking rules

I Can't Stay Away Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews! :) I'm glad you guys like this story! :) **

**Summary: **Clare gets new neighbors; the Goldsworthy's. Turns out she and Eli's parents have long history and are at war with each other. Their parents forbid them to see each other, but when the two find an attraction to each other, they can't stay away.

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><p><em>I'm conflicted, I inhale now I'm addicted<em>

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV<strong>_

I sighed as I tossed the book I was trying to read across my bed. I puffed my cheeks out and looked around, trying to find something to get my mind off the green eyed boy living next door. I tried finishing my book, but that didn't work. I just couldn't understand why my mother got so mad at me for finally making a friend. She knows I'm not the most popular girl in school, she knows I only have two friends and even they're not the most popular. So why isn't she happy that I actually found someone I can get along with?

I got up from my bed and walked over to my computer. I sat down and logged onto my FaceRange account. I sighed frustratedly when I saw that the one person I needed to talk to wasn't on. I could call her, but she might get in trouble like last time. I pressed my lips to a line and logged off. I glanced around my room, bored out of my mind.

I pushed my legs on the floor making my chair spin around. I spun my chair around and around until I got dizzy. My mind went back to the talk I had with my mother just a few hours ago.

"_What?" I asked, not quite sure if I heard her correctly._

"_You heard me. You are never to see or speak to that boy again. I don't even want you blinking in his direction."_

"_That's kind of hard to do when they live next door." I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest. Why was she doing this? Why is she being so unreasonable? _

"_Well, your just going to have to pretend that they don't live next door." _

"_But mom!"_

"_No buts! its final. I don't want you near that boy, do you understand?" She asked, getting her mother face on._

"_No, I don't understand! Please enlighten me on why I have to stay away from someone who I just made a connection with. You know I don't have many friends and just when I think I found one more person who I get along with you just have to come and forbid me to see him? Why is that? Explain this to me because I obviously don't understand!" I panted after I finished, wondering where all of that came from. Sure I made a connection with Eli and who knows, we might have been really good friends, but I just met him and here I am trying the best I could to be able to see him again. _

_My mother just stared at me, her angered expression even worse. I swallowed hard, waiting to hear what she was going to say to me. _

"_Clare, I am done discussing this with you. My decision is final. You are not aloud to see that boy again. Now go to your room."_

_I stared at her, confused and angered. I groaned loudly and stomped up the stairs, down the hallway and into my room, slamming the door behind me._

I snapped back into reality when I heard something hitting my window. I turned my head to my window, trying to see what it was. I got up and moved the curtains to see Eli leaning out of his window, throwing rocks at mine. He noticed I opened the curtains and stopped throwing the rocks, smirking at me. God that smirk.

I sat down on my window seat and opened my window, looking at him confused.

"So tell me, do you often stare off into space like that?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

I then realized I must have looked insane while thinking about earlier tonight.

"No, I was just thinking." I told him, watching as he sat down on his window seat. He nodded and we sat there, not saying a word.

"So, for the past half hour I had to listen to my mom yell at me about how I can't see you, speak to you, or even blink in your direction." He started, making me look at him.

"Ha, my mother said the same thing!" I sighed and let my head rest against the wall. "Parent's are stupid." I mumbled.

"Tell me about it."

There was a silence, but it wasn't awkward. It was a comfortable silence as we both stared off into the night. I turned my head to look at Eli. The moonlight was illuminating his face, his eyes brighter than normal. He must have felt my gaze because he turned his head and looked at me, smiling slightly.

"You do know we're disobeying our parents by talking right now, right?" I asked, earning a smile from him.

He chuckled, "Wouldn't be the first time."

I laughed along with him, feeling amazing. I don't know what it was, but being around him just made me feel happier, like we can do anything. To put it bluntly, I loved being around him, and I just met him today. How crazy is that?

"So when do you start school?" I asked.

"In about a week. My parents want me to finish unpacking first." He rolled his eyes. "Their really just scared I might get into trouble."

"Yeah, about that. You're mom seems like she expects you to do something to get you in trouble. When I came to the door she thought you had done something to piss me off." I said, laughing slightly. "What's that about?"

He stared at me for a bit, probably thinking about telling me or not. It's not that I'm nosey, it's just I want to get to know him better. He intrigues me. He turned his head back and looked at the moon.

"Where I used to live... I didn't make the right choices. When I was thirteen I started getting into drugs. You know how it is, your young, you think because everyone else that you should try it." I nodding, knowing that exactly how it goes. "So that's what I did. I tried it and ever since then, I couldn't stop. At first it was just for fun but after a while... I needed it." I listened intently, watching as he told me his life story.

"When I was fifteen, I met this kid Jake who was also into drugs. We became really close, we practically did everything together." He paused, the small smile on his face slowly disappearing. "One night, we decided to go to this party. I didn't know who was throwing it, all I knew was that it was one of Jakes friends. To be honest, I only remember the first hour of the party. We had a good time... to much of a good time." He paused and looked over at me. "The next thing I knew I was waking up in the hospital. My mom explained that this guy found me in the bathroom, lying on the floor. If he hadn't found me when he did, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

"Oh my god." I whispered. I can't even imagine how he felt... how his family felt.

"After that, I gave up drugs. It was hard, but I had help. I lost all of my friends and pretty much became isolated from everyone." He explained. "I've been clean for almost a year and a half."

"That's good, Eli." I smiled. "And if it makes you feel any better, I'm also a loner." I gasped, "Maybe we can be loners together." I teased.

He chuckled and held his hand out to me, "Deal."

I smiled and shook his hand. He pulled his hand back and looked at me. "So, what's your life story?"

"Oh, this is it. Just me, my mom and... yup ,that's pretty much it." I stated.

"No siblings?"

"My older sister Darcy died when I was six." I explained, staring at the moon.

"I'm sorry." I heard him whisper.

"It's okay, I don't really remember much about her. My mom has shown me plenty of pictures of us playing together and what not, but I just don't have any memory of her. Sometimes I wish I can remember her, just to know what she was like." I explained, my eyes glued to the sky. I really don't have much memory of her. I've seen plenty of pictures of us together, but I don't know anything about her. I know she was very beautiful, I just wish I knew more about her personality.

"Do you mind me asking how she passed?"

I turned to look at him, "My told me it was a car crash. She said she was driving and me and Darcy were in the backseat, goofing off. She turned around to tell us to stop, and as she did, she lost control of the wheel. Darcy was killed instantly while I only had a head injury. My mom thinks that the head injury is what caused me to loose any memory of Darcy."

For the next twenty minutes it was silent between us. We sat there, staring at the moon. We would steal glances of one another, but quickly look away when the other notices. It was really nice to hang out with someone who listens and doesn't judge me.

"Clare?" I heard my mother say, making me turn my head to look at my bedroom door.

"Ah, mom coming to end our fun?" Eli teased.

"Clare, open this door." My mom said, wiggling the doorknob. I was glad I locked it.

"One second." I said, getting up from my seat. I leaned back down and placed my arms on the windowsill, looking at Eli. "I really like talking to you, Eli."

He smirked, "I like talking to you too, Clare."

"We should do this again." I said, hoping that he would say yes.

He smiled, "I'd like that."

"Same time tomorrow?"

"It's a date."

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><p>The past week has been good, besides the whole mother-not-letting-me-see-Eli thing. Eli and I have been talking every night since the night we met. Turns out, we have a lot in common. He's funny, witty, and doesn't take bullshit from anyone. Same with me, I don't even take bullshit from him. He says he likes that I'm not afraid to say what's on my mind.<p>

Our parents still forbid us to see each other, which we still don't understand, but we make it work. Every night around ten we open our windows and talk. We laugh, joke around and have a good time. One time my mom asked me who I was always talking to, so I told her I was on the phone with a friend. She bought it and left me alone and I thanked god that my mother wasn't the brightest star in the sky.

Even though it's only been a week, Eli and I have become really close. We talk about anything and everything. I tell him my problems at school and he listens to me. I can talk to him about anything.

Today Eli is starting school, so I told him we can talk about it after. Whether it was a good first day or a bad one. He told me "Be prepared. First days for me don't go well." I tried arguing with him, but it was pointless.

"Claaaaaaaaaaaaaare!" I heard my name being called, making me spin around in the hallway to see Imogen running towards me. She had her normal style on; Cat ears, black dress with little carton girls on it and her green purse with a red skull. Her hair was put into two pigtails.

People in the hallway gave her a weird look but she ignored them, like always. She ran up to me with a huge smile on her face; I mimicked her smile teasingly and she glared at me. I laughed.

"Alright, what's up?" I asked, closing my locker and turning to her again.

"Look!" Imogen smiled as she held up a magazine with the words _"Panic at the Disco concert tour stops in Toronto!"_ written at the top. I guess I should mention that Imogen is a big PATD fan. Scratch that, she is _the_ biggest PATD fan. She's completely and utterly in love with Brendon Urie.

"Good luck getting tickets." I said, turning to walk down the hallway, Imogen by my side.

"Oh, you underestimate me Clare Edwards. There is this radio contest. The person who answers most of the questions correctly wins the tickets, and who do you know other then me that would know every answer?" Imogen said, raising her eyebrows.

I sighed, "No one."

She smiled, "Exactly. So the contest is this weekend, so I have to start quizzing myself. Oh, I should visit their site, maybe there's new information, maybe I missed something, what if everything I know is a lie!" Imogen started freaking out, her hands grabbing my arms and shaking me.

"Imogen, calm down! You're going to be fine." I said, taking her hands off of my arms. "You know every single thing about them, your for sure gonna win this." I smiled.

She smiled back and took a deep breath. "Thanks Clare, you truly are my best friend."

"I know." I smiled and we giggled.

Imogen and I have been best friends since grade one. This girl, Jenna, had the sixty-four pack of crayons, while Imogen only had the small pack. Jenna, being the stuck up nosey bitch she was and still is, started making fun of Imogen for it. So, I stood up and told Jenna to shove it.

Imogen and I have been best friends ever since.

"K, so, you're still coming over tonight right?" I asked.

Imogen looked at me like I had a dancing monkey on my head. "Duh, It's not like staying home is any better."

Imogen lives in a group home, so she takes any chance she gets to stay somewhere else for the day. Her parents were killed in a car crash, just like my sister, and now she's stuck in a group home. My mom knows about Imogen's situation and says she is free to stay at our house any time she wishes. So, my house is pretty much a second home to her. But, she's like a sister to me, so I don't mind.

"Will you quiz me when we get to your house? I really want to win these tickets and..." I stopped listening to Imogen once I saw an all too familiar head covered with dark hair. His hair fell over his eyes as his lips stayed in a tight line. His expression was bored and that's when I realized who it was.

Eli.

"Eli!" I yelled over Imogen's shoulder, making her turn to look at him.

He looked at me and his face immediately lit up. I smiled and ran around Imogen, through the student filled hallways and over to him. I smiled as I got closer, watching as he opened his arms. I jumped and wrapped my arms around his neck, his arms circling around my waist as he caught me. He spun us around a few times before placing me down.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, pulling away from him.

"I told you I started school today." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yes, but you didn't tell me you were going to Degrassi!" I exclaimed, feeling all too excited that he was now going to my school. Now we can see each other outside of our bedroom windows.

"You didn't tell me you went to Degrassi either! So really this isn't my fault."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him, glad I had one more friend here.

"So hows your first day so far?" I asked.

"Well, lets see. My teachers pretty much already hate me, no one has bothered to talk to me and I just got jumped by a crazy lady." He explained.

"Jumped by a crazy lady?"

"That would be you."

My mouth dropped but I quickly snapped it shut, slapping him on the arm, "I am not crazy."

"Oh, my bad. Jumped by a _slightly insane_ lady" He teased.

"God your such a jerk." I laughed.

"Am I missing something?" I heard Imogen ask behind me.

I turned around to see Imogen looking very confused as she eyed Eli and I. I totally forgot about her! Wow, some best friend I am.

"Oh, right. Eli this is Imogen, Imogen this is Eli, my neighbor." I smiled as they shook hands.

"You mean the one your not aloud to see?" She questioned, eyeing me suspiciously.

"No, the other one." I lied.

"So your saying this dude lives in a tree?"

I then remembered that on he other side of my house is nothing but grass and trees.

"No, not a tree." Eli joined in. "It's more like a box." he started making hand movements. "I have my own lantern, I make my own fire for heat, I have that popcorn that you make over the fire, you just-" Eli looked over at me just as I gave him a look telling him to shut up. "-and I'm done." he put his hands down, rocking back and forth on his heels and whistling.

I shook my head and turned back to Imogen who was giggling "Don't worry, your secrets safe with me." She pretended to zip her lips. I smiled at her and pulled her into a side hug.

"You see, this is why your my best friend." I smiled.

"Well, jee, thanks." Eli teased, making me turn to look at him.

"Your my friend. You gotta work your way up to the best." I said as I used my hand and placed it up high.

"Well how do I get up there?" He asked mockingly.

I pretended to think for a moment before I looked over to Imogen. She smiled at me and turned to Eli, "Walk us to class?"

"You guy do know that I don't know my way around here, right?" he lifted his schedule and started looking over it as me and Imogen turned on our heels and started walking away, but we could still hear him talking. "I have to look at this thing to know where I'm going and- oh, okay." He quickly walked up beside me and glared at me from the side.

"Your a bitch, you know that?"

I rolled my eyes, "Don't pretend you don't like it." I smirked.

I felt my hear skip a beat as he spoke.

"I never said I didn't."

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><p><strong>How was it?<strong>

**I just wrote this today since I had an idea and I hope it wasn't a disappointment. i know it's not the best chapter but it's just leading up to things. **

**I know the first chapter seemed like it was rushed but it had to be like that. The way I was trying to make it was so you guys would see the instant connection between the two. Now they are becoming friends petty fast, but it's because of how close they live to each other and the fact they aren't aloud to see one another. The more their parents try to keep them away form each other, the more they want to be with each other. Their relationship will be moving fast, but tis because of the connection they have. But it **_**wont**_** be rainbows and butterflies all the time ;)**

**The next chapter will have some more of their parents involved. You will get a clue as to what's going on between them, but you wont find out just yet. **

**Also, everything in this chapter was needed. *cough cough* the concert *cough cough***

**Review and tell me what you think! :) **


	3. Close encounter

I Can't Stay Away Chapter 3

**Thank you for the reviews! They make me smile! I'm so glad you like this story! :)**

**READ: Just so you know, I am getting into Eli and Clare's relationship first, before they actually try and figure out what's going on with their parents. Because I do have some dramatic chapters planned out, but their relationship has to grow first. so yeah..**

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><p><strong>Warning: uhh... -laughs nervously-<strong>

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><p><strong>Summary: <strong>Clare gets new neighbors; the Goldsworthy's. Turns out she and Eli's parents have long history and are at war with each other. Their parents forbid them to see each other, but when the two find an attraction to each other, they can't stay away.

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV<strong>_

"Favorite movie?"

"Don't be afraid of the dark."

"Seriously?"

I nodded, smiling. That was one of the few horror movies I actually liked and it was actually the most interesting one. I'm not a big fan of those straight up gory movies where you see someone getting ripped to pieces every five minutes. I like the ones with an actual story behind it, the ones that make you think.

Eli rolled his eyes and threw a piece of popcorn at me and I caught it in my mouth. I smiled as I ate it proudly.

"Alright," I said, swallowing the popcorn piece. "Your turn. Favorite drink?"

"Define 'drink'." He said, raising his eyebrows.

"Non-vodka."

He smirked, "Um... I'm gonna have to go with the Monster energy drinks."

I smiled and threw a piece of popcorn, watching as he caught it in his mouth. He ate it with a triumphal smile.

I jumped and turned around quickly, watching as Imogen entered the room. I placed my hand over my heart as I closed my eyes, thankful that it wasn't my mother. Imogen gave me an apologetic look as she locked the door and walked to my bed, grabbing her magazine and looking through it.

Imogen has been here for the past two hours, practicing for her radio call. The radio station call was at five and it was currently four thirty. Imogen really wants those tickets and I hope she gets them.

Imogen has lived her life with nothing but what she can afford. She works at a restaurant, waiting tables. She uses her money wisely and she doesn't complain; she's happy where she is. The only thing she doesn't like is being in a group home with a bunch of other kids, so that's why I take her in sometimes.

"Are you guys still playing that stupid game?" Imogen asked, flipping the page of her magazine and popping her gum. She's referring to the game Eli and I made up. We ask each other questions, and each time we answer, we get a popcorn piece. Stupid, I know. But its just so we can get to know each other better.

"Yes, and we are having a joyful time while doing so." Eli yelled, moving so he was sitting on the windowsill with his legs hanging off.

"Joyful?" Imogen asked, turning to look out the window.

He moved his hand in a dismissive motion, "Don't ask."

Imogen happily returned to her magazine, letting us go back to our stupid game.

I turned back to Eli and watched as he swung his feet back and forth.

"Be careful." I told him, watching as his lips curled up into a smirk.

"Why? Clare-Bear scared I'll fall?" He teased, looking down from his window. "It's not that far down..."

I scoffed, "Yeah, I'd like to hear you say that when you fall to your death."

He smirked and said, "I doubt that will happen, unless I lose my grip or someth-"

I screamed his name as he slipped slightly, not even realizing the devilish smirk on his lips. He chuckled as he sat properly on the ledge again, still swinging his legs back and forth. I placed my hand over my heart, feeling how fast it was beating.

"God, your such an ass!" I said angrily as I glared at him. "Your lucky I'm not over there right now."

"Why? What would precious little Clare-Bear do to me?" he asked, smirking.

I raised my eyebrows. I bit my lip as I eyed the drain pipes on the side of my house, then the one on the side of his. I turned back to look at Imogen who was fully engulfed in her magazine. I turned back to Eli and smiled. I placed my legs outside of the windowsill, mimicking Eli's position. I then turned my back to him, keeping my body up on the windowsill with my hands.

"What are you doing?" I heard Eli ask.

I didn't respond. I moved my foot over and placed it on a metal piece that was sticking out from the wall. It seems pretty sturdy so I placed my weight on it and grabbed onto the pipe, making my way onto it. I grabbed the pipe with two hands and held onto it.

I looked over to Eli's house and eyed the pipe there. I glanced at Eli who was watching me with his hand put out, probably just in case I fall. I took a deep breath and swiftly flung out and grabbed the pipe with my left hand, then my right. I jumped slightly and placed my feet on the side of the pipe, holding most of my body up with my arms.

I turned to look at Eli who was watching me wide eyed.

"Are you gonna stare at me or help me out?" I asked, snapping him back into reality.

He moved so he was inside his house and stuck his upper body out the window, holding out his hand. I grabbed it and placed my foot on a brick that was partly out from the side of his house. I grabbed his windowsill and pulled myself inside, with his help.

"My parents are downstairs, you know that right?" Eli asked, going over to his door and locking it.

"Yeah, I wont be here for long." I said as he walked back over to me. "Just wanted to do this." I lifted my hand and punched him on his arm, making him hiss. he lifted his hand and placed it over the spot I had just hit him, rubbing it.

"You now, for a small girl you give a mean punch."

I smiled, "Thank you."

He rolled his eyes.

I then realized that his room had a lot of stuff unpacked now. His closet was full of clothes, most of them not on hangers, he had a lot of boxes that were opened but still held stuff inside of them. His bed was unmade, but so was mine so I couldn't complain. I then noticed on one wall he had some colors painted on it. Well, two colors. Black and a dark forest green.

"Planning on painting your room?" I asked, walking over to the wall and crossing my arms.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure which color to pick." he walked up beside me and crossed his arms, the both of us staring at the wall.

I analyzed the colors for a few seconds before responding, "I like the green." I turned to look at him. "It matches your eyes."

He slowly turned his head and looked me in the eyes. He stared at me for a few seconds before turning his head back to the wall and smirking. "Alright, green it is."

"Oh, oh, oh." I started jumping up and down like a little kid. "Can I paint it with you?" I asked, batting my eyelashes and sticking out my lower lip.

"Puppy dog face, nice touch." he teased. I didn't move an inch. "You know if you keep your lip out like that, something might happen."

"Like what?" I asked, my lip still stuck out.

"Oh, I don't know-" My eyes widened when he leaned down sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling on it slightly. I moaned and closed my eyes, my hand raising up to cup the nape of his neck. His hand slid to my lower back, pulling me closer. I wrapped my other arm around his neck, lifting myself up slightly to press our lips together.

He kissed me back, turning his body so our chests were pressed together, making me wonder if he could feel how fast my heart was beating. I opened my mouth once he slid his tongue across my bottom lip, granting him access. Our tongues collided and I smiled once I felt him moan against my lips.

He began to move forward, forcing me to walk backwards. I felt the back of my knees hit the back of his bed, causing me to fall back down on the bed, our kiss breaking in the process. We both panted and stared into each others eyes as I crawled backwards up his bed, him following in suit. I stopped, as did he, his body hovering over mine.

I lifted my head and crushed my lips over his, feeling his hand find my hip. My legs spread instinctively and he positioned himself between them. I giggled slightly and tore my lips from his, kissing up his jaw line.

"How is it that we always end up making out on your bed?" I asked, feeling Eli press a kiss to my neck before bringing his lips to my ear.

"Maybe _next _time we could be on _yours_." he whispered huskily.

I lifted my hand and ran through his hair before gripping it and pulling his head back, crashing my lips to his. He smirked against my lips before kissing me back, his hands running up and down my sides. His tongue slid it's way into my mouth, battling against mine. I moaned and cupped his face in my hands, keeping him there.

I don't know what it is, but I just could not get enough of this boy. Everything about him intrigues me. His eyes, his lips, his smile, his voice, his laugh... everything. I didn't know if it was normal to fall for a guy this fast, but at this point, I really couldn't care less.

I tore my lips from his and moaned as he pressed himself against me, letting me feel just how aroused he was. He placed his hand over my mouth.

"Shh, you have to be quiet, my parent's are downsta- ooh." he moaned as I lifted my hips, rubbing myself against him.

He removed his hand from my mouth and quickly replaced it with his lips. We swallowed each others moans as we pressed our hips to one another's. My hand slid down his chest and up into his shirt, my fingers tracing his abs. I felt his muscles twitch under my touch as I slid my hand higher, making me smile into the kiss. His hand slid up my side and stopped at the side of my breast. Our tongues battled as I waited for him to move his hand over my breast when...

"Eli?" We both stopped our movements and puled away, looking at each other wide eyed. It was CeCe. "Eli, why is you're door locked?"

Eli opened and closed his mouth multiple times, not quite sure what to say.

"Say something!" I whispered.

"Uh, one second!" he yelled to the door before turning back to face me. "Uh, quick, get under the bed."

I raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"

"Well would you rather get caught?"

I sighed and mumbled, "Fine." before he moved off of me. I rolled off of his bed and climbed under it, unable to believe that I was doing this.

I listened as the door opened and they began talking.

"Everything okay, baby boy? You seem a little flustered." CeCe asked, making me cover my mouth to hold in a giggle. Baby boy? Oh I am so never going to let him live that down.

"Y-yeah, why- why wouldn't it be?" Eli stammered, making me roll my eyes. Could he be more obvious?

"I thought I heard you talking to someone." CeCe explained.

"Must have been the TV." I shook my head, wishing I could clap Eli. The TV wasn't even on! "Which I just turned off." Eli continued.

"Mhmm... baby boy, it's fine, really. Your a growing, _hormonal_ boy and it's okay if you want time alone. We- we could call it your _alone time_, or _Eli's special time_ or-"

"Mom!" Eli cut her off, making me thank him mentally. "Stop, please.

"I'm sorry, I just thought you were..."

"Masturbating?" Eli questioned. "No, I- I- just, no."

"Whatever you say... but just know that I'm not judging you, it's normal stuff-"

"Bye mom!" Eli yelled before I heard the door close. I heard him sigh as he walked over and knelt down next to his bed, bending over so I could see his face.

"All clear." He said.

I rolled out from under his bed and climbed on top of it, trying to hold in my laughter. I looked at him and couldn't help it anymore. I didn't full on laugh my head off, taking note that CeCe might hear me, but it was giggling like a maniac. Eli gave me a weird look, making me cover my mouth as I began to laugh even more.

"Baby boy," I laughed, holding my stomach. "Eli's special alone time." I laughed even more, turning and stuffing my face in one of his pillows, trying to muffle my laugh.

I finally stopped laughing and sighed, taking in his scent from the pillows.

"Did you just... sniff my pillows?" I heard Eli ask.

"No," I said, my voice muffled from the pillow. I lifted my head up once I felt the spot beside me sink in. Eli leaned over and dug his head in the crook of my neck, his nose pressed against my skin as he took a deep breath, sighing after.

"Did you just sniff me?" I asked.

He lifted his head and said, "No." Hi lips soon curled up in a smirk, letting me know he was just mocking me. I blushed slightly, realizing he had caught me sniffing his pillows. Way to go Clare, way to play it cool.

He chuckled and rolled on his back, looking up at the ceiling. I turned on my back also, mimicking his position. We were silent for a few minutes while staring at the ceiling. I suddenly felt Eli's hand slither under mine, taking it in his and interlacing our fingers. I looked down at our hands, smiling slightly as I squeezed his hand.

"You know we aren't aloud to be together, right?" He asked, making my smile fall.

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. I slowly sat up, realizing I had left Imogen in my room. I slowly pulled my hand from Eli's grip, much to my dismay, and stood up from his bed. "I should go."

Eli pressed his lips to a line, but nodded nonetheless. I pressed my lips to a line and turned on my heels, heading for the window. I walked over to it and placed one leg out of the window, sitting on it, half inside, half outside. I was about to climb out the window when a hand was placed on my cheek, turning my head the other way.

I closed my eyes when I felt Eli's soft lips being pressed against mine. I lifted my hand and clenched his shirt, bringing him closer to me. His tongue swept across my bottom lip before I opened my mouth, granting him access. Our tongues battled for what seemed like forever, but was only a few seconds, until Eli pulled away, brushing his lips against mine.

"You can definitely help me paint my room." he muttered against my lips, making me smile.

He smirked and back away a bit, letting me climb out of the window. He stuck his head out the window, kissing me once more. I smiled and bit my lip as he watched me climb back over to my window.

Once I successfully made it to my window, I climbed inside and glanced back at him and smiled, closing my window. He smirked and closed his, both of us closing our curtains.

I jumped and spun around once I heard Imogen screaming in pure happiness. She was jumping around with a huge grin on her face as the phone was pressed up to her ear. She hung up and screamed happily with her eyes closed as she turned to me.

"Clare! I won! I got the tickets! I got the- holy make-out hair!" She yelled once she opened her eyes.

I quickly lifted my hands and started flattening my hair, trying to fix it.

"Anyways, while you were over at Dr. Dooms house, sucking his face off, I got the tickets!" She smiled wide.

"Congratulations!" I said.

"And guess what? I have_ four_ tickets, so we can bring dates! I'll be bringing Adam of course, and who knows, maybe Dr. Doom would like to come?" She asked with a grin.

I thought about it. It would be a good excuse to hang out with him. We could tell our parents we are going to a concert with some friends, obviously leaving out the part that we would be going with each other. It could work.

I smiled, "Maybe. I'll ask him tomorrow."

"Good," Imogen said before throwing her hands up in the air, screaming happily, "WE'RE GOING TO SEE PANIC AT THE DISCO!"

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><p><strong>So? How was it? I kind of rushed the ending because I was being rushed off of the computer, but I still think it turned out okay. Sorry if there are any mistakes, I didn't read over this since I was rushed. Anyways, I hope you like it! Not sure when my next update will be, so just keep a lookout. :)<strong>

**P.s. Last chapter I forgot to mention that Adam and Imogen are dating. Yes, Adam is still an FTM, but I just think Imogen would be the type of person to accept them... plus I kinda think they would be cute together. *shrugs***

**Review! :)**


	4. Defining the relationship

**I can't stay away Chapter 4**

**Thank you for the reviews! I am **_**so**_** glad you guys like this story! :)**

_**DegrassiLover2010:**_** I'm glad that I made you laugh! I hoped I would at least get some people to laugh1 :) And you will be finding that out soon enough ;)**

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><p><strong>Summary: <strong>Clare gets new neighbors; the Goldsworthy's. Turns out she and Eli's parents have long history and are at war with each other. Their parents forbid them to see each other, but when the two find an attraction to each other, they can't stay away.

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV<strong>_

I ran my hand through my hair as I looked in the mirror that is placed on my looker door.

I woke up late this morning, not having enough time to get ready. Imogen was wide awake all night, telling me her plan of how she was going to make Brendon Urie fall in love with her. Imogen has this big dream where she goes to a Panic at the Disco concert, meets Brendon Urie, they fall in love, and he realizes she is a talented actress, she becomes famous and they live happily ever after.

Well, that _would_ be her dream if she didn't have Adam. She's fine where she's at in life, and she wouldn't have it any other way. At times I wish I could be like Imogen. I wish I could believe in fairy tales like that, but after my parents' divorce, I stopped believing in fairy tales.

I yawned and closed my locker, nearly jumping ten feet in the air when I saw Eli standing there.

"Holy shit, what are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" I asked, placing my hand over my heart.

"Jeez, I never thought I was _that_ ugly." I gave him a look and rolled my eyes as his lips tugged up into a smirk. I bit my lip, wondering if he knew what that smirk did to me. I felt my heart race as I thought about kissing that stupid smirk off of his face and- No! Stop it! We're in school for god sakes!

I then remembered that Imogen had won tickets to Panic at the Disco and said I could invite Eli.

"Hey, uh, you know how we've been disobeying our parent's orders?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah…" he dragged on, waiting for me to continue.

"Well… mind taking it a little further?" I asked.

He stared at me; his hands stuffed into his black skinny jean pockets. I wasn't sure if he was actually thinking about it, or if he was just standing there, staring at me to try and creep me out. If it was the second one, it sure was working.

"What did you have in mind?" he finally asked.

I smiled and began to walk around him, feeling him immediately turn around and begin walking beside me. "Well, Imogen won four tickets to Panic at the Disco, and she said I could invite you. Her boyfriend, Adam, will be going also, so it's not like you'll be the only guy."

He raised his eyebrows, "So, it's like a double date?"

We stopped in the middle of the hallway as I turned to face him, his eyebrows still raised as he waited for an answer.

"If you want to label it." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

He didn't answer right away, so I began to walk away for him. I felt a hand being wrapped around my bicep, pulling me back until I was standing in front of Eli again. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, making my knees go weak instantly. Before we could get into the kiss, he pulled back and brushed his nose against mine.

"I do." He breathed against my lips.

I couldn't fight the smile that appeared on my lips as I slowly backed away from him.

"Friday night." I waited till he gave a nod before turning on my heels and walking down the hallway to my next class.

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><p>I tapped my pen on the top of my desk, sighing as I stared at the clock. The past week couldn't have been going by any slower. Each day I had been getting more and more excited to go to the concert, and each day it was taking longer and longer until Friday would come. Today was Thursday, which meant there was only one more day, and so far, it was taking <em>forever<em>.

I wasn't quite sure where Eli and I's relationship stood, if we even _had_ a relationship. I mean, we would hang out constantly, talk, laugh, steal kisses here and there, but we have never really talked about where we stood. Were we a couple? Were we just a fling? Was it just casual? I had no idea, and it was pissing me off.

What if he's not really into it, and sooner or later he'll get sick of me and leave? What if I'm the only one thinking about us? What if I'm the only one who wants to be more than friends? What if-

I groaned loudly and slammed my head on the desk.

You're overanalyzing this Clare, just stop thinking. Stop thinking. Stop thinking. Stop think-

"Ms. Edwards?" I looked up to see Mr. Purino staring at me with a confused expression, making me realize every head in the room was turned and facing me. "Are you alright?"

I blinked and answered, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't get enough sleep."

Mr. Purino gave me a look that told me he wasn't buying it, but left it alone nonetheless and went back to the lesson.

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><p>"Can you believe it?" Imogen asked, looking at me with a huge grin as I ate my sandwich. "Just think," she glanced up and stared into space, placing her hand on my arm. "In just a few hours, we'll be in the same room as Brendon Urie!" She sighed dreamily as she kept her gaze in the air. I glanced up to where she was staring off to and picked a piece of bread out of my teeth with my tongue. Imogen turned to face me and looked at me confused before looking to the spot she was previously looking at. "What are you staring at?" she asked, making me turn to look at her.<p>

I shook my head and took a bite out of my sandwich. Suddenly, a cheeky Adam appeared next to Imogen, smiling wide as he placed his arm around her shoulders.

"How are my two favourite girls in the world- oh my god, is that a turkey sandwich?" Adam reached over and snatched my sandwich out of my hand, bringing it up to his lips and taking a huge bite out of it, leaving me wide eyed.

"Hey!" My voice came out muffled since I had some of my sandwich still in my mouth, but I didn't care. "You just jacked my sandwich, dude!"

"Mhmm…" Adam mumbled, "And it was so worth it." he took another huge bite out of it and closed his eyes, enjoying _my_ sandwich.

I raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Was it worth _this_?" I asked before swinging my hand back and punching him in the shoulder, hearing him groan. He placed his hand over his shoulder and closed his eyes, looking like he was in pain and thinking.

"Yes, yes it was." He took another bite as I glared at him.

"So, did Mama Torres approve of the concert?" Imogen asked Adam, making him look at her with a mouth full of food. He gulped it down and answered, "Yeah… but…"

"Here we go." I said, rolling my eyes. Every time we make plans with Adam, his mom always has one condition; otherwise he won't be allowed to go.

"We have to get ready at my house. My mom said she would feel better if we got ready when she was there. She's also forcing me to take her cell phone so she can reach me whenever she wants."

"Actually…" I began. "That might not be such a bad thing. That way we can all get ready without my mom and Eli's parents finding out. He can just say that he's going to the concert with a friend, and I'll tell my mom that I'm going with you guys. Technically, we won't be lying."

"Yeah, I still don't understand why your parent's won't let you guys see each other." Adam said, taking his last bite of my sandwich.

I had told Adam about my mom and Eli's parents not letting us even glance at one another, and at first he was a little confused, but now he just doesn't understand why. Which, neither do I. I don't think I will ever understand why my mom won't let me see Eli, or the fact that his parents have the exact same rule. CeCe was perfectly fine with me until my mom came over… could it be my mom? No, it seemed like they had known each other for more than five minutes, which confuses me even more. What the hell is going on with them?

It's like they don't want _anything_ to do with each other; they don't even want their kids involved with each other. Whatever it was, I'm determined to find out.

"I don't either, but I'm pretty sure it's more than their leading it out to be."

* * *

><p>"Come on Clare, Adam's outside."<p>

"I'm coming." I told Imogen, throwing my make-up bag in my back pack. I then turned to the window and opened it, grabbing a pencil I don't need and throwing it at Eli's window. I watched as he turned his head, getting up from his computer chair and walking over, opening the window and sticking his head out.

"Yes?" he asked, smirking.

"Meet us at the park in ten." I told him, waiting until he nodded before closing the window and the curtains. I turned and grabbed my back pack, slinging it over my shoulder and walking out into the hallway, turning off my light and closing the door. I ran down the stairs and met Imogen at the door.

"Okay mom, we're leaving now!" I yelled out to her, putting on my converse as she came out from the kitchen.

"Okay, have fun girls." She smiled. I smiled back and opened the door, letting Imogen go first before following her outside and closing the door behind me.

"Panic at the Disco, here we come!" Imogen said happily as she clapped her hands, making her way to Adam's car.

* * *

><p>"Where is he? You said he'd be here."<p>

"And he will, just wait."

We were currently waiting for Eli at the park, and so far there was no sight of him. He said he would be here, so where is he? I glanced over at Adam and Imogen, realizing how annoyed they looked.

Adam was leaning against his car, his head banging on the top of the car. Imogen was standing next to him, her phone in hand as she played on it, her expression bored.

"Can we just go? He obviously isn't coming and I do not want to miss the chance to meet the most sexiest guy on this planet!" Imogen said, making Adam's head snap up and glare at her. "I mean, the _second_ sexiest guy. You're the sexiest, baby." She cooed to Adam, making him mumble, "Mhmm, that's right I am."

I rolled my eyes and turned my head back, looking at the direction Eli should be coming from. Suddenly, a black shadow emerged from around the corner with a bag in hand, running across the street. They ran under the lamp post and Eli came into view. He ran over to us, panting as he stopped in front of us.

"Sorry I'm late." He panted. "My parent's kept asking me questions about who I was going with. So according to them I'm going to a concert with a guy named Kurt."

"Alright, let's go!" Imogen said, motioning her hands to Adam's car. We all climbed in and made our way to Adam's house.

* * *

><p>"Hold still!"<p>

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Adam, if you do not hold still I will show you what it feels like to have a flat iron shoved down your throat!"

Adam stared at me wide eyed before sitting straight in the chair, not even moving an inch.

"Thank you." I breathed, taking a piece of his hair and bringing the flat iron to it.

I finished about fifteen minutes later, looking in the mirror to see Adam's eyes were closed tightly. I tapped his shoulder, making him open his eyes and look at himself in the mirror. His eyes widened as he stood up and looked in his mirror, staring at himself in amazement.

I grabbed his beanie and placed it over his head, fixing it so it looked right.

"There." I smiled.

"Clare, you made me look… like a guy." He whispered, knowing that if Imogen heard him, she would most likely freak out on him, yelling that he _is_ a guy and that he needs to stop saying shit like that.

"Adam," I sighed, placing the comb back on his desk. "You _are_ a guy. Stop thinking otherwise."

I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a side hug, smiling at him. He smiled back and gave a nod. Adam joined Eli on the bed, the both of them already dressed and ready to go.

I turned and grabbed the flat iron and began doing my own hair. Imogen waltzed out of the bathroom and walked over to the mirror before starting to do her make up. As I finished my hair, I took in her appearance. She had a black dress on, a red leather jacket over top and her hair was done up in two messy buns on each side of her head. She finished her make-up by putting a thin line of red eyeliner on her lid, adding to her green eye shadow; only a look Imogen could pull off.

She smiled and turned to me just as I put my bangs back, making them puff a little. She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me past Adam and Eli, and into the bathroom, closing the door.

"Alright, strip." She ordered, crossing her arms over her chest. My eyes widened as I backed up slightly. She rolled her eyes, "So you can put these on." She grabbed an outfit from the counter and handed it to me, turning around so I could change.

I peeled off my clothes and pulled on the skinny jeans, along with the top. Imogen turned around and a huge grin spread across her face as she looked me up and down. I turned and looked at myself in the mirror, my own grin appearing.

The ripped skinny jeans fit me perfectly; the black top was loose with an open back. It hung low in the front, but not too low where my tits would be hanging out. I smiled and before I could register what was going on, Imogen had sat me down on the toilet before she walked out of the bathroom and came back with her make-up bag. She kneeled down in front of me and told me to close my eyes, so I complied.

Once she was done, I opened my eyes and looked in the mirror, nearly chocking on my own spit as I saw the person in the mirror. Imogen had done a smoky effect on my lid, along with some black liquid eyeliner and some mascara. She had put some bronzer on my cheeks, giving them that gold shimmery look, along with some lip gloss that smelled like vanilla.

I turned to face Imogen who had a huge grin on her face.

"Like it?" she asked.

"No, I love it! This is amazing Imogen." I said, looking at myself in the mirror in awe.

"Let's see what Eli thinks,"

Before I could respond, she pulled me out of the bathroom and into Adam's room, making both of the boy's heads turn and look at me, their conversation instantly dying. Adam smiled slightly at me while Eli just stared at me, his eyes wide. I watched his Adam's apple bob as he gulped, which I have learned is a sign of nervousness.

"What do you guys think?" Imogen asked.

"You look amazing, Imogen." Adam smiled. "Oh, you too, Clare."

I rolled my eyes and waited for Eli's response, but I didn't get one.

"I'm thirsty." Imogen said, turning to Adam. "Adam, would you like to accompany me while I get myself a drink?"

"Uh… okay?" he answered uneasily before getting up and following Imogen out of his room, obviously confused.

I cleared my throat and walked over to Adam's dresser, picking up a necklace I had laid out earlier. I turned to look at Eli, whose eyes were still glued to me.

"Can you help me with this?" I asked, watching as he shook his head, like he was in some trance and now returning back to reality, and looked at me.

"Uh yeah, sure."

He got up and walked over to me as I turned and faced the mirror. I handed him the necklace before reaching up and taking my hair, holding it up. Eli stuck one hand through my arm and grabbed one end of the necklace with it while holding the other with his other hand. He pulled his hands back as I felt the cold chain hit my skin, feeling his hands against the back of my neck as he clipped the ends together. I let my hair go as his hands trailed over to my shoulders and down my arms until they reached my hands.

"I- I've been meaning to ask you something." I stuttered, feeling his lips touch my shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Where- where do we- uh- stand… in our relationship?" I questioned, watching in the mirror as he slowly lifted his head, his eyes locking with mine through the mirror.

He didn't respond right away, making me think I had made a bad move. That answered it for me. I had been stupid and thought that he was actually into me, but he's not. This was never going to be more than just a few kisses here and there. I had actually thought that we could possibly end up together, but it turns out I was the only one who thought like that. He didn't want me, he just liked the attention. I should have known.

"Well," he began, breaking me from my thoughts. "I kind of thought this meant that you were my… girlfriend." I felt my heart skip a beat as he spoke the last word. I slowly turned around to face him, searching his eyes for any sign that told me he was lying. There was none. "Despite what our parent's say, I don't think I can stay away from you… I like you too much."

I don't know why I did it. I don't know why I had the sudden urge to do it in the first place, but either way, I did. I grabbed his face in my hands and pressed my lips to his. I could tell he was taken aback from my sudden move, but it didn't take long for him to respond to the kiss. I felt his hand find the back of my head, his fingers entangling in my hair as he crushed our lips harder together. His other hand wound itself around my waist, pulling my body closer to his.

He pulled away and looked at me oddly, licking his lips. "You taste like vanilla." He smirked. "_I like vanilla_."

I rolled my eyes and crushed my lips over his, once again.

I walked forward, causing him to back up and fall back onto Adam's bed. Our kiss broke as I lay on top of him, his hands resting on my hips as mine rested on either side of his head, holding me up. He smiled at me as his eyes scanned my face, causing me to blush as my lips curled up into a cheeky grin. I leaned down and kissed him again, feeling his tongue swipe across my bottom lip. I opened my mouth, letting his tongue slip in between my teeth and into my mouth. I massaged my tongue against his, feeling him tighten his grip on my hips.

"You know Adam and Imogen could walk in on us at any moment." I muttered against his lips as I pulled away.

"Yes…" he trailed off, glancing at the door. I narrowed my eyes as I glanced at the door also, hearing two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs. "3, 2, 1."

"AHHH!" Adam yelled, covering his eyes as soon as he walked into his room, Imogen not far behind. "Seriously guys? On my bed? Now I have to burn the sheets!"

I giggled and rolled off of Eli, hearing him whimper as I lay next to him. I watched as Adam peeked through his eyes, Imogen walking by him as she rolled her eyes, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Adam removed his hands from his eyes and glared at me. I gave him a devilish grin before leaning down and crushing my lips over Eli's.

"Ugh, seriously?" Adam groaned.

Eli smiled against my lips and took my bottom lip between his teeth, nibbling on it slightly. I smiled and kissed him once more before sitting up and giggling as Adam gave me a death glare.

Eli sighed in satisfaction and placed his hands behind his head, smirking as he muttered, "I could get used to this."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, yeah, I'm moving their relationship pretty fast, but I have to, otherwise I would be dragging the story along and you would get bored. Anyways, the next chapter will be the concert, and after that you will see some growth in their relationship before the good stuff comes. We will soon be finding out what is going on with their parents, which I can't wait to write! :)<strong>

**Also, yes, Adam can drive :D**

**As for _All About Him_… don't expect an update any time soon. I am having horrible writers block with that and it's making me mad. I'll try and write but I just sit there, staring at a blank document. I will try, but I don't know if I will succeed. **

**Well, it is almost 1am here, and I kinda wanna go read… possibly write some more… who knows. **

**I hope you liked this chapter! **

**Leave me a review and tell me what you think! :)**


	5. Concerts and other things

I Can't Stay Away Chapter 5

**Thank you for the reviews! And I just have to say that I am super excited to see that **_**SixWS**_** is reading and reviewing this story! I love her work, and I'm sure you all will too! Go check her out! :)**

_**DegrassiLover2010**_**: Umm.. I'm gonna say yes, Eli does know about Adam. Lets just pretend that when Adam told Eli, his reaction was the same as in the show. **_**Cool... **_**Lol, :)**

_**DeadHeartsAndOpenWounds**_**: **_**THAT**_**, my friend, is an amazing assumption. I wish I had thought of that.. but no, that is not the case. Thank you for actually trying to figure it out though! But we are getting closer to find out what happened :)**

**Okay, so this is kind of long... but I couldn't bring myself to break it into two chapters. The author note at the bottom explains why.**

* * *

><p><strong>Warning:... -laughs nervously- well... ;)<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>Clare gets new neighbors; the Goldsworthy's. Turns out she and Eli's parents have long history and are at war with each other. Their parents forbid them to see each other, but when the two find an attraction to each other, they can't stay away.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Clare's POV<strong>_

The lights blared, the speakers boomed, the people screamed, Imogen fainted...

Okay, so the last part wasn't true, which actually surprised me. I thought as soon as Brendon Urie walked out, she would have. But no. Instead she screamed at the top her lungs, jumping up and down like a little girl and squeezed the living daylights out of my arm. I may wake up with a bruise... or fifty. The night is still young... and so is Imogen.

Bodies kept bumping into me, trying so hard to reach their hands up to the band. I guess it didn't help that we were right in front of the stage. Well, as close as you can be to the stage without passing the gate and a few big buff body guards that look like they wont have a problem killing you if you give them a reason.

The concert started about an hour ago, and that meant that it has been a full hour of Imogen screaming at the top of her lungs about how much she loves Brendon Urie. Adam would give her a look and she would correct herself, saying she loved the band, and not just Brendon Urie. I would only shake my head and giggle as Adam would glare at her playfully and say, "_That's what I thought_."

I was shocked when Adam and Eli suddenly started screaming lyrics to one of the songs, making Imogen stop her screaming as she looked at me, the both of us wearing confused expressions. Imogen glanced at Adam as I turned and looked at Eli, watching as they both had their hands up in the air as they jumped up and down. I looked back at Imogen who looked at me; we shrugged and turned back facing the front, throwing or hands in the air as we started jumping and screaming lyrics.

The song changed and the crowed went wild as the music began playing the intro to _I Write Sins Not Tragedy's_. Imogen turned to me, grabbing my arm and screaming, "I LOVE THIS SONG!"

I peeled her hand off of my arm, rubbing it softly. Imogen didn't even notice that she had hurt me slightly as her eyes were glued on the stage, but I didn't mind. Imogen was having fun and that's all that mattered.

I felt an arm being wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me closer to a body. I felt them lean down, their nose pressed against the side of my head as their lips brushed my ear, asking, "Having fun?" It was then that I realized it was Eli.

I turned my head so I could answer him, having to partially yell. "If you count having Imogen scream in your ear as she grips onto your arm for dear life as fun, then yeah, I'm having a _blast_." I teased, hearing him chuckle faintly.

We turned our attention back to the band, Eli's arm staying wrapped around my shoulder as he used his other hand to cup his mouth as he yelled, "YEAH!"

The song changed once again, Brendon took this chance to quickly take a swig of water from his water bottle, wiping his face afterwards. The crowd went wild once again as the song became _The Ballad of Mona Lisa_, causing him to chuckle into the microphone. Imogen had the biggest grin on her face as she waved her hands over her head, screaming.

I turned to Eli and whispered something in his ear before turning to Adam and telling him the same thing. They both nodded and I moved out of the way as Eli went beside Imogen, Adam on the other side. They both leaned down and picked her up by her legs, causing her to scream and grab their heads as they lifted her up, holding her on their shoulders.

I smiled as I watched Imogen soon calm down and smile at me before turning back to the band and screaming, throwing her arms in the air like many times before.

I watched as Brendon walked to the edge of the stage, his head and body moving to the beat as the chorus played. Imogen's eyes widened as he knelt down in front of her on the stage, his eyes staring into hers as he grabbed one of her hands that was reaching for him as he sang, _"Whoa, mona lisa, you're guaranteed to run this town."_

I stared at them with wide eyes, mouth hanging open as I watched them. The whole crowed was cheering and reaching their hands out, hoping that Brendon would choose them next.

His hand slowly slid out of hers as he went on with the song, Imogen staring after him in utter disbelief. The guys set her down but she didn't move an inch, her gaze locked on Brendon. I snapped my fingers in front of her face, causing her to slowly turn to me.

"Did. You. Just. SEE THAT!" She grinned and screamed in pure bliss, jumping up and down and hugging me tightly. I laughed and wrapped my arms around her, jumping with her. "Yes, Imogen, I saw that. We _all_ saw that."

She pulled away smiling wide before turning and screaming again, her hands in the air. Adam cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed with her. Eli walked back over to my side and chuckled as he shook his head. I wrapped my arm around his waist, causing him to turn his head and look at me, his arm snaking around my shoulders.

"How are you liking our first date?" He yelled over the music.

I raised my eyebrows, "So this _is_ a date?"

"If you want to label it." he smirked as he mocked me, making me roll my eyes.

I moved my head closer to his, kissing him chastely before moving my lips to his ear.

"I do."

* * *

><p>"Oh my god, that was amazing! Did you see that? He was looking right at me! And he grabbed my hand! This is officially the best night of my life!" Imogen sighed dreamily as we made our way back to Adam's car.<p>

"I must say that that was pretty amazing." I said, walking beside her. Adam was on the other side of her, his hand interlaced with hers.

"I know, right? Ugh, he is just so dreamy."

"Ahem, you do know I am standing right here, don't you?" Adam spoke up, looking at Imogen.

"Yes. but you already know that he is my celebrity crush." Imogen explained to him. "And you know that I don't and will never love him as much as I love you."

Adam's lips slowly curled up as a blush crept on his face, his hand letting go of Imogen's so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders. "I love you, too."

I couldn't help myself. I broke and said, "Awwwwwwwwweeeeee!" like a little kid, smiling like an idiot at them. They looked at me and we all broke into laughter. "I know, I ruined the moment, but you guys are just so cute."

Imogen smiled and wrapped her arms around Adam's waist, resting her head on his shoulder.

We made it to Adam's car, Imogen and Adam climbing in the front. I was about to climb into the back, only to be pulled back and turned to face Eli. He stared at me, his eyes shinning under the street light. I tilted my head up slightly as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, his hand sliding up to cup my face. I placed my hand son his chest, my hands gripping his shirt.

His free hand slid to my lower back, pushing my body closer to his. I lifted one arm and wrapped it around his neck, pulling myself up slightly as our lips moved against one another's.

The kiss wasn't rushed, nor harsh. It was soft and gentle, slow and caring; every emotion we were feeling was expressed through that kiss.

He pulled away slowly, our foreheads resting against each other's as our breath mixed.

"This won't be easy you know." he whispered, his gaze lifting so he could look me in the eyes.

I sighed and closed my eyes, my hand playing with the hairs at the back of his neck. "I know."

I let my head fall to his shoulder, digging my head into his neck. His head rested on mine as he tightened his grip on me, pulling me closer.

At this point, I didn't want this moment to end. I wanted to stay in his arms forever, even thought that wasn't physically possible. I just want to know why our parent's don't want us to be together, let alone talk. I didn't want to go back; I didn't want to go back to my mother and pretend that I wasn't just out with Eli on our _first_ _date_.

"But we'll make it work." he whispered, making my lips curl up into a small smile. I tightened my grip around him and placed a soft kiss on his neck before whispering, "We will."

* * *

><p>"So how was the concert?" My mother asked from the doorway of my room as I took off my shoes and threw them in my closet.<p>

"It was fun." I smiled, remembering the night I had with Eli. Not to mention the knowing looks we got from Imogen and Adam once we got into Adam's car.

"That's good. Did anything interesting happen?"

_Well, I told you I was going to a concert with Imogen and Adam, but at the same time, I went to have my first date with the boy you forbid me to even talk to, not to mention we plan on sneaking behind your back so we could be together. _

"No, not really."

She nodded her head and smiled while saying, "Well, I'll leave you to get ready for bed. You must be tired."

As she was about to leave, I called her back, watching as she turned to look at me with a smile.

"I was wondering..." I began, unsure of how this will go. "What do you have against the Goldsworthy's?"

I watched as my mother's smile dropped as the words left my lips. She looked taken aback by this, but that was soon washed away as anger came over her features.

"Why?" she asked coldly.

"I was just wondering. They seem like nice people and you still haven't given me an explanation for what happened the night they moved in." I told her.

"Well they're not. So stay away from them."

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"Because I said so!" She ordered.

I stared at her with angry eyes, tears threatening to stream down my cheeks. I turned my head away from her as I blinked them away, my eyes glaring a hole into the wall of my room. I shifted my gaze back over to her, watching as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Clare, there are things that you don't know, and I'd rather you not know right now, okay? In a couple of years maybe I'll explain, but for now please just stay clear from them."

"What is this big secret?" I asked.

"Clare," she said in a warning tone. "I am done with this conversation, now goodnight." She turned to walk out of my room, slamming the door as she did so. I huffed and sat on my bed, wishing things could be easier.

I sighed and glanced out my window, noticing Eli was sitting at his computer desk, his feet propped up as he read a book in his pajama pants. He looked up and his gaze landed on mine. He lifted his hand and waved, smiling softly at me. I smiled back and waved before getting up and walking to the window.

I grabbed a piece of paper and a marker from my night stand, writing something on it.

_Goodnight, Eli_.

I held up the paper to him, watching as his eyes scanned it before he chuckled, shaking his head and grabbing a pen and paper, writing something down on it. He picked it up and held it up to me.

_You're weird. Just letting you know. Goodnight Clare._

I giggled and stuck my tongue out at him before closing the curtain. I sighed and turned around, looking around my room.

"Pfft, stay away? Yeah right."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Two weeks later...<strong>_

"Eli, stop it!" I giggled as I ran away from him... well, trying to run away from him.

He chuckled and picked up his speed, getting closer to me with every step. I ran faster, trying so hard to outrun him so I won't be tickled. I couldn't believe he had fond my tickle spot. And now he won't let it go. School had just ended and we were currently on our way home, taking as much time as possible to get there.

I suddenly felt strong arms wrapping around my waist, pulling me to a halt as they lifted me up and spun me around. I laughed as I held onto Eli's arms. He set me down and turned me around, looking lovingly into my eyes before pressing his lips mine, both of our lips in smiles.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my lips moving with his. His hands found my waist, wrapping themselves around me as he pulled me closer. My mouth opened against his as his tongue slid inside, begging mine to play with his. I wrestled mine against his, ignoring the fact that I needed air.

I finally pulled away, gasping as I tried to regain my breath. I smiled as he smirked, the both of us trying to enjoy these last few minutes before we had to depart.

"Guess what?" he asked.

"What?"

"I love-"

Oh no. No, no, no. Is he going to say what I think he is? He can't. No. Yes, I like Eli. I really like him. But it's a little too early to be using the _love_ card. I mean, what am I supposed to say? I can't say it back if I don't mean it. What would I say?

"-chocolate."

Fail.

I then noticed the smirk playing at his lips and the glint in his eyes.

"You asshole." I laughed as I pushed him away and turned so my back was facing him.

I felt his arms wrap around me once again as he pulled me to his chest, his head resting on my shoulder.

He chuckled, "I'm kidding. You're pretty great, too." I rolled my eyes as he placed a kiss on my cheek.

He turned us back around as he kept his arms around me, his head still on my shoulder. I frowned once I noticed our houses were in view. Eli noticed and asked what was wrong, so I pointed to our houses. He sighed and bowed his head, placing a kiss on my shoulder. I craned my neck so I could look at him, placing a kiss on his cheek. He smiled slightly as he kept his gaze on the ground.

I turned my head back and that's when I noticed my mom was getting into hre car. I pinned my eyebrows together and unwound myself from Eli, turning and giving him a quick kiss before saying, "I'll text you."

I turned and ran over to the car, leaning down to look into the drivers window once I reached her. She rolled down the window and smiled at me.

"Hey honey, I'm going out for a few hours. Dinner's in the oven." she said.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Just going to hang out with a friend. I haven't been out much and I figured _what the hell_." She smiled.

I returned it and nodded, saying I'll see her later tonight, watching as she drove out of the driveway and down the street, rounding a corner. I notice Eli had finally walked out from the spot I had left him, making his way to his house. I quickly ran over to him, jumping and wrapping my arms around him. He stumbled slightly but caught himself, chuckling.

"Hey, long time no see." he teased.

I rolled my eyes. "My mom just left and said she wont be back for a few hours."

"So, you wanna hang out?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"Something like that."

* * *

><p>"You know your room looks a lot different now that I'm actually inside of it instead of seeing it through a window." Eli said, looking around my room. I smiled as I lazily drew circles on his chest with my finger.<p>

We lay on my bed, Eli underneath me as my upper body lay on top of him, his arm wrapped around me. I rested my arm on his chest, my chin resting on my hand so I could look at him. His hand ran up and down my side, sending shivers down my spin every time he went down my side, hitting the waistline to my pants.

"I asked my mom about your parents and why they don't like us hanging out." I blurted, making Eli's gaze land on mine.

"What did she say?"

I sighed and rested my head on his chest, my hand sliding down to find his.

"She said that there were things I didn't need to know and that she doesn't want me being around you guys." I answered as Eli interlaced our fingers. I stared at our hands as I felt Eli's chest rise and fall as he took a deep breath.

"I wonder what's going on with them."

"That makes two of us." I said, moving my head so I was looking at him once again.

He stared at me with those intense green eyes, my heart racing and my palms becoming sweaty with every second that passed. I bit my lip and shifted my gaze away from him. I don't know what it was, but being alone in my room with him for the first time made me nervous. I guess it's the fact that I have never really felt such strong feelings for someone so quickly. And here I am, alone in a room with the first guy that has ever made me fall so fast.

"You're nervous. Why?" he asked softly.

I glanced up at him. "Because... I really like you, Eli. And I don't want to have our parent's hating each other getting between us, because one way or another, they _will_ find out and I don't know what will happen when they do."

"Yes, they most likely will find out, but that won't change my feelings for you." he said sweetly.

A small smile crept up on my lips as I watched him return it.

"Now," he said, sitting up, causing me to sit up also. "Let's move onto a more serious manor."

"Which would be...?"

"Your lips look so lonely, would they like to meet mine?" he wiggled his eyebrows, making me burst into laughter.

"You're so weird." I laughed as I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his. He smiled as he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me down on the bed as he moved his lips with mine.

The kiss heated up pretty fast, Eli's tongue moving with mine furiously. My legs opened out of instinct, letting him rest his lower body between them. My hands found the back of his head, threading my fingers between his dark locks as his found my sides. He traced the waistline of my pants with his fingers, running them back and forth over my skin, causing me to shudder.

He pulled his lips from mine, dragging them down to my jaw, then my neck. I moaned softly as he sucked and nibbled, my hands pulling on his hair as he bit down on my neck. He moaned and trailed his lips back up to mine, kissing me fiercely. I responded just as eager, pulling his bottom lip between my teeth.

I pushed him away slightly, causing him to look at me confused when our kiss broke. I trailed my hands to the hem of his shirt, pulling on it, signaling that I wanted it gone. He got the message, and in one swift movement, his shirt fell to the floor.

I couldn't help it, he was beautiful. I stared at him, my eyes scanning every inch of him as my hands lifted up, touching every part of his skin that I could. I felt his muscles contract under my touch, making me smile as they trailed to the back of his neck, pulling him down to me. Our tongues collided, forming a wet dance.

I felt his finger slowly slide behind the waistband of my pants, making me halt my movements. He pulled his head back and stared into my eyes, asking for permission. I didn't know if he knew how inexperienced I was with this kind of stuff, and I didn't know why, but I pushed that thought away and nodded, giving him permission to go where no one has gone before.

He slowly slid his fingers over to the button of my jeans, popping the button open before bringing the zipper down slowly. I lifted my hips, making it easier for him to pull them down as our eyes stayed locked on each other's. He slowly pulled my pants down, discarding them to the floor afterwards. My breathing hitched at the sound of them hitting the floor. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, my hand reaching up to cup his face.

"Are you sure?" he whispered against my lips.

I gulped and nodded, pressing my lips to his once again, trying to reassure him that this is what I wanted. He hesitantly moved his hand up my thigh, rubbing small circles. He moved his hand; I gasped as I felt him run his finger over my sensitive spot, letting his tongue enter my mouth.

He pulled back and I watched as he undid his pants, revealing the bulge in his boxers, pulling them down as my eyes grew wide.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked.

He discarded his pants and threw them to the floor, coming back and hovering over me.

"Just... trust me, okay?"

I licked my lips and nodded slowly. He took a deep breath as he stared into my eyes before leaning down and capturing my lips in a kiss. I kissed him back, my hand reaching up to cup his face as any insecurities I had washed away.

"Ooh.." I broke the kiss and moaned as he rolled his hips to mine, letting me feel his arousal.

He stared into my eyes as he rolled them to mine again, my lips parting as I let out a moan. He started a slow pace, making me whimper for more. Just as he rolled his hips forward, I lifted mine, meeting his. He groaned and closed his eyes, bowing his head as he kept his pace.

"Eli," I breathed, making him look up at me.

His once sweet, intoxicating eyes were now dark and full with lust. I shuddered, noticing the look of need on his face. I cupped his face in my hands, bringing him down for a kiss. He pushed his hips harder to mine, causing me to moan into his mouth. We swallowed each other's moans as our hips mimicked the act of sex.

I tore my lips from his, throwing my head back into the pillow as I let out a moan. His head fell to the crook of my neck, panting against my flesh. I felt a warm sensation in my belly, my hips lifted to Eli's as I tried to find some sort of release.

I listened as Eli mumbled curse words into my neck, signaling that he was close. He lifted his head and crushed his lips over mine, my eyes closing in pure bliss. He gave one last hard thrust, sending both of us over the edge, breaking the kiss as we cried out, my back arching into him. His forehead feel to mine as the room was filled with our gasps. I panted, noticing Eli's eyes were closed as he tried to catch his breath.

"I-I've never done that before." I whispered, watching as Eli slowly opened his eyes.

"You- I wouldn't have done it if you told me you didn't want-"

"I didn't say I didn't want to." I interrupted him.

He stared at me for a few seconds before pressing a soft kiss to my lips. He rolled off of me and moved so he was lying next to me, his arm snaking around my waist. I turned so I was facing him, my hand resting on his chest.

"What time will your mom be back?" he whispered, his hand rubbing my back.

"I don't know, she just said she was going out for a few hours."

He pressed his lips to a line and nodded. "I have to leave soon..." He trailed off. I sighed and shifted closer to him, burying my head into his bare chest. "I know."

It was silent for the next few moments, making me wish that time would just stop. I loved spending time with Eli, and the fact that we aren't aloud to see each other, makes it a lot harder. The only time we are actually safe to see each other is school. But that's not enough for me.

Suddenly, I heard the front door downstairs fly open and then shut. My head shot up as my eyes glued to the door of my bedroom.

"Clare! Are you home?" I heard my mother yell.

"Shit." Eli mumbled, rolling off the bed to gather his clothes. I got up as well and grabbed my pants, pulling them on as Eli pulled his shirt over his head. I ran to my door as Eli pulled on his pants, listening to see if she would come up the stairs.

"Yeah, Mom. I'm here." I yelled down.

"Fuck, this is so uncomfortable." I heard Eli mumble from behind me, making me turn around to see him trying to fix his pants.

Eli opened the window and I watched as he climbed half way out the window, sitting on the ledge with one leg outside. I ran over to him, pressing my lips to his for a quick kiss. I pulled away and watched as he climbed out onto the pipe. I stuck my head out of the window so I could see him.

"I'm sorry." I told him.

"Don't be sorry." He said as he slid down the pipe and landed on the ground, me whispering harshly for him to be careful. He looked up at me and smirked, "I'll see you later, Clare." He turned around to walk to his front door, but stopped and faced me again. "Oh, you might want to fix your hair. Your mom might jump to conclusions." He winked and turned around, walking around the corner to his front door.

I blushed and quickly pulled my head back inside my room, glancing in the mirror to see I had had make-out hair. I quickly picked up my brush and ran it through my hair, making sure it was nice.

"Clare! Can you go into my room and grab me my blue sweater?" My mother called out to me.

"Yeah, sure." I called back.

I walked out of my room and down the hall, opening her door and going to her closet. I sighed as I opened the doors, scanning her closet. I narrowed my eyes as I realized I didn't see her sweater. I looked up onto the shelf that was above, smiling as I saw it folded under a box.

I stepped on my tippy toes, reaching up to grab it. Once I got a hold of it, I pulled it. I squealed, jumping in surprise as the box had fell and nearly hit me. I let out a sigh of relief, placing my hand over my rapidly beating heart.

I bent down and started picking up the things that had fallen out of the box, placing them back inside. My eyes caught something poking out from under my moms bed, making me realize it must have slipped there when the box fell. I reached over and pulled it out from under the bed, picking it up and holding it in front of me.

It was then that I realized it was my mom's old year book from when she went to high school. I bit my bottom lip and opened it, scanning all of the signatures on the first page. I smiled as I realized my mother was no stranger to the popular crowd. There were signatures saying _"Cool party!"_ or _"Can't wait to hang out this summer!"_ or _"Man were you wasted! Can't wait to party with you more this summer!"_

Huh. Who knew that _my_ mother would have been one to party?

I flipped a few pages until I found my mother's graduation photo. I smiled as I saw it; she was gorgeous. I scanned the rest of the photo's, just wanting to see what kind of people she had been hanging with. My eyes suddenly landed on a familiar blonde haired girl, making my eyes widen.

"No _fucking_ way."

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><p><strong>... who knows who that blonde girl is? Any guesses?<strong>

**Also, the little moment between Eli and Clare just kind of happened. I guess it was just a way to show that they are growing pretty close very fast. **

**The reason I didn't split this chapter into two was because I really want to get to the good stuff. I feel like I'm dragging it on. I keep bringing up that their parents hate each other, but you don't know why. Well, you will find out some of the reason next chapter! :) Everything will **_**not**_** be revealed next chapter, just bits and pieces. I think this story will be around 10 chapters, maybe? I'm not completely sure yet. **

**I had to rush this chapter because I felt like I was dragging it on and you guys REALLY want to know what is going on. Even some of you are guessing, which makes me happy! :)**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!**

**Reviews? :D**


	6. Secrets and a Yearbook

I Can't Stay Away Chapter 6

**Thank you SO much for the reviews! :) I was so happy to see some of you guys freaking out about it, haha. **

**I would do some shout outs, but I'm being rushed off of the computer so I'll do it next chapter! :) **

**Warning: umm.. there's really not much. **

**Disclaimer: So I realized i haven't done this, but I do not own Degrassi, or the song A Drop In The Ocean by Ron Pope. I'm only saying this once, because well, if I did own Degrassi, I wouldn't be writing this and posting it on FanFiction; I would be writing it and then making it happen on the show!**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>: Clare gets new neighbors; the Goldsworthy's. Turns out she and Eli's parents have long history and are at war with each other. Their parents forbid them to see each other, but when the two find an attraction to each other, they can't stay away.

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV <strong>_

I clutched the year book to my chest, my fingers gripping onto it as I made my way out the front doors of Degrassi. I glanced around, looking for a certain shaggy, dark haired boy. I finally spotted him sitting under a tree with Adam, comic books placed in their laps as they ate their lunches. I ran down the steps, making my way towards them.

I ran over to them, not being able to wait anymore. I finally made it to them, falling to the ground next to Eli, panting. Eli and Adam jumped, turning to look at me with strange looks. They glanced at each other and then back at me, obviously still very confused.

"You guys will _never_ guess what I found." I breathed.

"What? No hello? No 'how are you?', No kiss?" Eli asked.

I rolled my eyes, "Hello, how are you Eli?" I leaned over and gave him a quick peck. "Now, will you shut up and look at this?"

I held up the year book to them, watching as they glanced at each other before turning back to the year book.

"A year book." Eli stated.

"Not just _any_ year book. Look." I crawled over Eli, hearing him groan, and moved so I was sitting between him and Adam. I opened the book to the page where I my mothers graduation picture was, pointing to her.

"That's your mom." Adam stated. He looked at me as if he was expecting more.

"Yes, but look at this." I slid my finger down the page and over to the left, stopping on a certain blonde haired girl. I turned my head to look at Eli, watching as his eyes followed my finger and widen. His lips parted slightly as his eyes shot up to mine.

"That's my mom." He breathed, staring at the picture that read _CeCe Lockwood_ underneath it.

"Wait, hold up. Are you saying that your mom and Eli's mom went to high school together?" Adam asked me. I nodded and turned back to the year book.

"But that's not all." I flipped the page and pointed to another familiar face.

"You have got be fucking kidding me." Eli said, looking at the high school photo of his father, the heading underneath read _David Goldsworthy (Bullfrog)_. I guess his nick name stayed with him throughout the years. "Our parents went to high school together?"

"I guess so." I shrugged, studying the pictures. I huffed and placed the year book in my lap, glaring at the grass.

"I know that face." Adam spoke up. "What's going through your head, Clare?"

"What I don't understand is why they thought this was such a big secret. I mean, is it that big of a deal that they went to high school together?" I looked at both of them, earning a thoughtful look from Adam as Eli just stared at the picture.

"Maybe..." Eli spoke up, glancing at Adam and I. "Maybe there's more to it."

We all sat in silence, turning our heads back to look at the year book. Maybe Eli was right; there could be more to it than we thought. I sighed and chewed on my bottom lip, closing the year book and sliding my hands over the cover.

This does _not_ make sense.

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><p>Throughout the whole day, I couldn't concentrate. I had been constantly thinking about that year book. I just didn't understand why my mom would keep this from me. Is it such a big deal that she went to high school with Eli's parents? If so, what made it <em>that<em> big of a deal?

The bell shrilled through the school, announcing that it was lunch. I gathered my books and walked out of the classroom, making my way to my locker. Once I reached it I dialed my combination, swinging the door open after. I threw my books in my locker, grabbing my lunch. I sighed and averted my gaze to my mirror that hung on the locker door, taking note that I didn't look my best.

Suddenly, a green eyed boy with dark shaggy hair appeared behind me, resting his head on my shoulder as his arms wound around my waist.

"You okay?"

I sighed and closed my locker. "Yeah, I'm just tired. I haven't been able to concentrate the whole day. I don't even know what class I was just in."

"Something on your mind?" Eli asked.

I turned my body around so I was facing him and dug my head in his shoulder, wrapping my arms around him. "Yes, the year book, and our parents and… us."

"Us?" He asked.

"Yes, us. I'm not completely sure what the whole story is with our parents, and what if it's something huge? What if it's something that will make us hate each other like they do?"

"Clare…" he sighed. "We went over this. No matter what happens, nothing will change my feelings for you."

"You don't know that." I murmured as I let go of him and made my way to the front doors of the school. I felt his hand grab mine, spinning me around to face him. He grabbed my other hand and interlaced our fingers, pulling me closer to him.

"Yes, I do. Clare, you make me feel like no other person has. I am falling harder for you each day and I know you feel the same." He was staring into my eyes so intently; I almost forgot we were still in school until the announcements came on.

"Hello there fellow Degrassians," I didn't move my gaze from Eli's, though I knew the TV screen was on, showing Holly J and Sav as they spoke. "Go on and grab that special person and ask them to Prom! Tickets will be sold tomorrow during lunch, so make sure you get your tickets!"

After Holly J was done speaking, Sav spoke up. "And if you're flying solo, who cares? Buy some tickets and join some friends and party!" The screen was shut off.

"How do I know that when we find out what is going on with our parents, you won't leave me?" I asked, stumbling slightly as someone walked by me, bumping into my shoulder. Eli sighed and pulled me out of the way, making his way down an empty hallway and into an empty classroom.

He shut the door and turned to look at me, not even bothering turning the lights on. He walked up in front of me; taking one of my hands in his while his free hand tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I can't promise that things will be okay at every moment, but I swear that I'm not leaving any time soon." He whispered softly.

My hands found the sides of his gorgeous face, bringing him down to me until our lips crashed. He responded to the kiss, his mouth opening against mine; our tongues colliding in the process. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. Our tongues battled for a few minutes; I pulled away for air.

I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head on his shoulder as I gave him a hug. His arms stayed wrapped around me, never once loosening his grip. This, _this_ is what I needed.

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><p>"You're kidding."<p>

"No, I'm serious. He held my hand in his, staring into my eyes as he sang me one line from _The Ballad of Mona Lisa._" Imogen grinned as she gushed about the concert to my mother. My mother had a smile of her own plastered on her lips as she looked at Imogen sweetly.

I had invited Imogen over for dinner, and since the moment we sat down at the table, Imogen and my mother had been none stop talking about that concert. I was thankful that Imogen had kept Eli out of the conversation.

"No way!" My mom said excitedly as she rested her hand on Imogen's.

"Way!" Imogen exclaimed. "Adam and this _random guy_ pulled me up on their shoulders so I could get a better view, and that's when Brendon walked to the front of the stage." Imogen glanced at me, winking as she purposely left out the fact that the _random guy_ was Eli. I smiled knowingly as I poked at my mashed potatoes.

My mother turned to me with a playful glare. "And you said nothing exciting happened." She scoffed teasingly. I rolled my eyes and giggled.

After dinner, Imogen had decided that she was going to take a shower, so I decided it was time to confront my mom.

"Hey mom?" I called as I walked up beside her at the sink, placing my dish in it. "I found something in your room the other day when I went to get your sweater."

"And what did you find?" She asked, rinsing the dishes.

"Your old year book." I told her, earning a smile and a nod. "I know you went to high school with CeCe and Bullfrog."

She dropped the plate she was holding, her head snapping in my direction. I had never seen my mother this angry. Her nostrils were flaring, her eyes were darkened, her fists clenching. She closed her eyes and turned back facing the wall.

"Yes, I did. Is that all?" she asked, her eyes staying closed.

"No, I want to know what happened between you guys. Why do you guys hate each other so much?"

"Because, CeCe's a lying, sleazy, compulsive whore!" My mother yelled in rage, turning to face me. My eyes widened and I backed up slightly. My mother soon calmed down, she gave me an apologetic look. She sighed, "Clare, there are things that happened a long time ago, that I'm still not over. But it's not like it's a one way street. She hates me too. I have a reason for hating her, but I have no idea why she hates me."

I stared at her, listening intently, hoping that she will just spill everything already.

"To be honest with you, CeCe and I were really good friends. She was like a sister to me. But that all changed." She sighed.

"How?" I asked quietly.

She looked into my eyes, "I've said enough, Clare. I'd like to keep the rest to myself." She turned and began to wash the dishes again. I sighed and began to walk out of the kitchen and to my room, but not before hearing her whisper, "Besides, some things are meant to be left in the past."

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><p>Imogen stood in front of my mirror, blow drying her hair as I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Imogen turned the blow dryer off, walking over and lying next to me. She stared at the ceiling, her head tilting slightly.<p>

"Why do you find the ceiling so interesting?" She asked, making me stifle up a short laugh.

"I don't. I'm just thinking." I answered, earning a nod from her.

"About…?"

"My mom and Eli's parents went to high school together."

"What!" Imogen exclaimed, sitting up immediately and turning to look at me.

I nodded, "But, turns out my mom and CeCe were best friends. But somehow that all changed and now they hate each other. She didn't give me the full story, so I don't know exactly _what_ happened to cause them to turn against each other."

Imogen let out a breath, staring at my bed. "Huh, who knew?" she mumbled.

"Did you tell Eli?" She asked after a few seconds.

"He knows about them going to high school together, but not about them being close. I'll just tell him now." I got up and made my way to my window, pulling my curtain aside. Imogen grabbed the remote to my TV and flicked it on, resting back in my bed as she flipped through the channels.

I looked out the window and into Eli's room, pinning my eyebrows together when I noticed he was lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. I grabbed one of the pebbles that I had brought home a few days ago from my nightstand and threw it t his window. His head snapped in my direction. He sat up and sat there for a few seconds before moving on his knees and crawling over to the window.

He finally reached the window and slid it open, laying his arms on the windowsill before resting his head on his arms.

"Hey." He mumbled.

"Why so glum, chum?" I asked, mimicking his position.

"I just spoke with my mom. It didn't go as well as I had hoped for."

"Why happened?" I asked.

"I told her that I knew she went to high school with your mom, and she flipped. I asked what happened between them and she started yelling and saying that your mom was a complete bitch." He explained, staring at the brick wall of my house.

"I talked to my mom too. I had never seen her so angry." His eyes shot up mine, obviously interested in what I was about to say. "I kept asking her what happened and she flipped. She said that CeCe was, and I quote, 'a lying, sleazy, compulsive whore'."

"Wow, I'm a descendent of a compulsive whore. Who knew?" Eli mumbled, causing me roll my eyes. It was silent for a few minutes; Eli looked upset as he drew lazy circles on his windowsill. "Hey, do you think you could come over for a bit?" he asked, lifting his gaze to meet mine. "My mom left after our talk, so it's only my dad. But he's sleeping, so…"

I glanced back at Imogen; she turned her head to look at me as I asked if she was okay with it. She smiled and nodded, turning back to the TV. I turned back to Eli and smiled as I nodded. I opened the window fully and climbed out onto the pipe.

Eli moved out of the way as I reached his window, climbing inside with his help. I smiled up at him, but he only stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my waist, digging his head into the crook of my neck. I frowned and wrapped my arms around him, my hand resting on his head as the other soothed his back.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, wondering why he was acting this way.

He sighed, "What if you're right?"

I pinned my eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"

"Clare, our parents obviously have a great amount of hate towards each other. What if when they find out that we're dating, they'll do whatever it takes to keep us apart?" his voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

I sighed and pushed him away slightly, bringing him to sit on the bed. I sat in his lap, wrapping my arm around his neck. I stared into his eyes as my hand cupped his cheek.

"Eli, remember what you told me? You said that this won't be easy, but you weren't going anywhere anytime soon. Well, the same goes for me. If they do happen to find out, then we will do everything we can to make sure they won't separate us. I'm not going to leave you without a fight."

My thumb caressed his cheek as my eyes stayed locked with his. His lips curled up into a small smile before he leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine, giving me a chaste kiss. He pulled away and I smiled at him.

I don't know how it happened, but we ended up lying back on Eli's bed. He lay beside me on his side as I lay on my back, staring at his ceiling. It was silent for a while, but it was comfortable.

"So, I was thinking about painting my room soon. Still up for helping me?" He asked. I turned my head to look at him, giving him a warm smile. "Definitely."

I turned my head back and stared up at the ceiling, humming a rhythm to a song. I could feel Eli's gaze on me, but I only smiled and closed my eyes. I reached over and grabbed his hand in mine, finally remembering the words to the song.

"_A drop in the ocean, a change in the weather, I was praying that you and me might end up together."_ His fingers intertwined with mine as I sang. _"It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert, but I'm holding you closer than most, cause you are my heaven."_

Eli was silent for a moment, staring at our hands. "That's nice. Did you write it?" Eli asked, his fingers playing with mine.

"No, it's a song by Ron Pope."

Eli chuckled, "I have no idea who he is."

I smiled and pushed his shoulder back so he way lying on his back, rolling over so I was straddling his waist. He stared up at me with slightly wide eyes, his hands finding my hips. I leaned down, inching my face closer to his; his eyes never left mine. I closed the gap between us, pressing my lips to his.

I swept my tongue across his bottom lip, siding my tongue inside once he opened his mouth. I slid my hands up his chest and up to his face, cupping his face in my hands. Our tongues battled as his hands slid to my thighs, rubbing small circles with his thumbs. I shuddered and broke the kiss, opening my eyes slowly to look at him. We stared at each other as we tried to regain our breath.

I sat up slowly, taking a deep breath before crossing my arms in front of me as I grabbed the hem of my shirt, bringing it up and over my head. Eli sat up, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me to his chest.

"You didn't have to do that." he whispered.

"I know."

I crushed my lips over his again as he fell back onto the bed, bringing me with him. His hands slid up my sides, stopping at the sides of my breasts and rubbing small circles. This time he took control as he slid his tongue into my mouth, begging mine to play with his. I moaned as his hand fond my breast, kneading it softly through my bra. I rolled my hips forward, hearing him groan in his throat.

"Eli, do you know where-" Eli and I broke apart to look up at a very confused Bullfrog. His eyes were side as his mouth kept opening and closing. "You have got some _serious_ explaining to do."

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><p><strong>Yeah... not my best. But that's all I could come up with. Sorry if there re any mistakes, I didn't re-read this so I most likely made a few errors. <strong>

**SO what do you think Bullfrogs reaction will be? Also, the year book will be brought up more, so keep that in mind. ;) And, I put CeCe's last name as Lockwood because that was before she married Bullfrog. And as for Bullfrogs real name, I had no idea what to put so I just guess and put random names. -shrugs-**

**Sorry it was so short.**

**My next update will be next weekend. With school and everything I find it hard to update during the week. **

**Reviews? :)**


	7. You've been caught

**Thank you for the reviews! Sorry for the wait! **

**Summary**: Clare gets new neighbors; the Goldsworthy's. Turns out she and Eli's parents have long history and are at war with each other. Their parents forbid them to see each other, but when the two find an attraction to each other, they can't stay away.

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV <strong>_

My eyes burned a whole in Eli's bedroom floor as my teeth bit the inside of my cheek. It has only been five minutes since Bullfrog had walked in on us. Now, Eli sat beside me on his bed, my shirt once again on my body as Bullfrog sat in Eli's computer chair, waiting for an explanation. Eli's leg was shaking, shaking so much that with the little contact we had, I could feel it. My hand was intertwined with his; our hands were buried under our legs by how close we were sitting.

At this point, I was terrified. Anything could happen. As soon as we tell Bullfrog, everything could change. He could tell CeCe and my mother, who would most likely do everything in their power to keep Eli and me apart. That's the last thing I want to happen. I don't want to be without Eli. Throughout these past two weeks that we have been together, things have been good. He is the first person to actually make me feel wanted. I have never really been with any other guy like this. Sure, I've had a boyfriend or two, but they never lasted long. They never made me feel the way Eli has in such a short amount of time.

Bullfrog was looking at us, his eyes going back and forth between us. It was then that I noticed it wasn't a glare; it was more like he was trying to figure things out without us having to tell him. I lifted my gaze and watched as his eyes studied us, looking for any indication that could help him. His eyes landed on our hands that were peeking out between our bodies; my breath caught in my throat.

"So," Bullfrog broke the silence. "Who's going to speak first?"

The room stayed silent. I glanced at Eli from the corner of my eye, noticing his teeth were tugging at his bottom lip. His eyes were glaring at the floor; I knew he didn't want to speak, because if he did, it could be the end of us.

I took a deep breath and stood up, preparing myself for what's to come. "Mr. Goldsworthy, I'm sorry you had to find out like this, but Eli and I have been dating for the past two weeks."

"What are you doing?" Eli whispered harshly as he stood up next to me. But I shushed him.

"I know that you and CeCe don't approve of us being together, but in all honesty sir, no one has ever made me feel the way your son does. Ever since the first day I met him, I didn't know what it was, but there was something about him that intrigued me. At first I thought it was just the fact that I had found someone I had so much in common with, but as days went by, I knew it was more than that. Even though we weren't allowed to see each other, we always figured out a way how, and with every second I spent with him, he has made an even bigger effect on me. Every moment I am with him I am terrified that you, CeCe or my mom will find out and do everything in your power to keep us apart, and that scares me because Eli is the only one that truly understands me." I took a deep breath. "But overall, he makes me happy."

I felt Eli's hand find mine again, intertwining our fingers once more. My gaze never left Eli's fathers. I watched as Bullfrog studied us once again, his eyes going back and forth between us. I waited for him to say something, for him to tell me to get out and never come back, but it never came.

"I don't expect you to change your mind, but just know that I do truly care for Eli." And with that, I turned and gave Eli a kiss on the cheek before turning and walking towards his door, my heart aching with every step.

Just as my hand was about to turn the knob on the door, Bullfrog finally spoke.

"Wait."

So I did. I slowly let my hand fall to my side, turning around so I was, once again, facing Bullfrog.

"You really like Eli, don't you?" He asked me. I nodded, so he turned his head to Eli. "And you feel the same?"

Eli nodded his head, his eyes landing on mine as he spoke. "Yeah, I do."

Bullfrog looked between us, before his eyes landed on Eli. Bullfrog sighed and Eli tore his gaze from mine to look at his father.

"You know, I never had a problem with the two of you. It was your mother who didn't want you guys to interact." Bullfrog explained. "And if she ever found out what I am about to do, she will most likely rip my head off."

Eli's eyes widened at what Bullfrog was implying, making my heart race.

Bullfrog took a deep breath. "Who am I to get in the way of your guys' feelings for each other?"

Eli stared at him wide eyed, "So what you're saying is..."

"I don't have a problem with you guys dating, but just know that you will eventually have to tell your mother. I won't be the one to do so, but I also won't be the one to cover for you if you guys get busted, got it?" Bullfrog switched glanced between us.

"Got it." Eli breathed, his lips tugging up into a smile. I felt tears of joy prick my eyes, my own lips curling up.

"Now, CeCe will be home soon, so Clare, you should probably leave soon." I nodded and with that, he turned and walked out of Eli's room, closing the door behind him.

I turned to face Eli, the biggest grin spread across my lips. I quickly ran over to him, jumping into his arms, digging my head into his neck as the tears fell. He wrapped his arms around me and spun us around, chuckling. He stopped and set me down, backing away slightly to look at me. I smiled and let out a short laugh, lifting my arm to wipe my tears.

He lifted his hands, placing them on my cheeks and wiped my tears away with his thumbs. "Why are you crying?"

"Because, I- I thought I was going to lose you." I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close to me.

I heard him sigh as his hand rubbed my back. "Like I said, I'm not going anywhere."

He pulled back and grabbed my face in his hands, softly pressing his lips to mine.

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><p><em><strong>One week later...<strong>_

I smiled brightly as I walked through my front door, slightly phased by the goodbye kiss Eli just gave me. I set my school bag down on the floor beside the couch and walked into the kitchen where my mom was preparing dinner. I walked up next to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

"Hi mom." I smiled brightly.

She chuckled, "What's gotten into you? A boy, perhaps?" I blushed and turned my eyes away from her, biting my bottom lip to keep the smile in. "There is a boy! Come on, who is he?" She dropped everything she was holding and turned to me with a big grin.

"You don't know him." I told her, walking over to the fridge and pulling out a water bottle.

"So... tell me about him." She smiled.

I smiled, my mind drifting off to Eli. "He's sweet, caring, funny, good looking... man, is he good looking." I sighed dreamily as my mom rolled her eyes.

"When will I get to meet this boy?"

I snapped back into reality. "Uh… I don't know, we're not that serious yet. I-I mean, I don't even know if he would want to come o-over." I stuttered.

"Are you guys going to Prom together?" She asked, turning back to cutting up the vegetables.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out as I realized Eli hadn't asked me. I can't believe I forgot about Prom. Did he forget too?

"He hasn't asked me." I whispered.

"Oh honey, I'm sure he will." My mom reassured me.

"Right... uh, I'm going to my room now."

I turned on my heel and walked to my bag, grabbing it and walking up the stairs and into my room.

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><p>I tapped my pencil against my book, scrunching my face up as I stared at the math equation. I huffed and threw my pencil down, pushing my books away from me. I rolled over so I was on my back, lying on my bed. I stared at the ceiling, listening to a song that was playing on my iPod.<p>

Suddenly, the song _The Final Blow by Escape the Fate_ came on, making me smile. I quickly jumped up, running over to my iPod dock to turn it up. I blasted the music, bobbing my head to the beat. I began to dance around my room, throwing my arms around as I got into the song.

I ran and jumped on my bed, throwing my head around as my hands pretended to play air guitar. I moved my body with the beat, not having a care in the world. I jumped down from the bed, landing on my knees and pretending I was doing the guitar solo. I took a deep breath as the solo stopped, my lips moving with the words as I sang to them softly.

I jumped back up and began dancing once again, not even realizing my curtains were open, along with my window. I kept jumping around, throwing my head and arms around to the beat, not even realizing the green eyed boy next door had been watching me with amusement.

"The final blow!" I sang the last words, banging my head on the last note and sighed. I tried to catch my breath, moving my hair out of my face with my hands.

Suddenly, I heard a fit of laughter from next door, making me snap my head towards my window, only to see Eli laughing his head off, clutching his stomach as he rolled around on the floor. I walked over to my window and frowned as he kept laughing.

"Jee, thanks. Jackass." I said, watching as his laughing stopped.

He sighed and wiped his eyes, sitting up so he was looking at me. He broke into laughter again but I only glared at him. He stopped once again, trying to keep a straight face. He failed and laughter kept breaking through his lips, making me huff and cross my arms over my chest.

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry." Eli started when he noticed that I was upset. "Baby, please don't be mad. Baby, please, I'm sorry."

I just stood there, glaring at him with my arms crossed over my chest. He sighed and came back over to the window, leaning out of it.

"Why don't you come over? Mom's gone to go get groceries and dad won't mind." He asked, putting on his pouty face. "Please?"

I rolled my eyes but gave in, smiling and nodding. He smiled back and climbed back into his window, waiting for me.

Once I made it over, I walked over at sat on his bed, crossing my legs Indian style. He came over and mimicked my position, smirking. I raised my eyebrows, watching as he slowly inched closer, but stopped. I smirked and did the same, stopping before I got to close to his face. He chuckled and shook his head, smirking as he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine.

I pulled away and spoke, "I've been meaning to ask you something." He nodded, signaling me to continue. "Are you going to Prom?"

He stared at me for a while before he shrugged, "I never really thought about it." I nodded slowly, looking down as I bit my bottom lip. "It's not really my scene."

"Well, do you think it could be? Just for one night?" I asked hopefully. My smile fell as he shook his head slowly, giving me an apologetic look. I frowned but nodded.

"I'm sorry, Clare. But Prom is just not for me. I think its lame and I don't really want to go there, bored out of my mind. Besides, we can still do something just the two of us." He smiled, but I only nodded with a frown on my face. I was officially bummed.

It was silent for a few minutes before Eli started hissing and rubbing his chest. I pinned my eyebrows together, watching as he looked in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, I got this tattoo yesterday, and it's still kinda sore." he explained.

"You got a tattoo!" I asked, my eyes wide as my mouth hung open.

"Yeah, you wanna see it?" he asked.

"Yes!" I smacked his shoulder. "Of course I wanna see it."

He smirked and knelt up on his knees on the bed, lifting his shirt. A gasp escaped my lips as I saw what was written on his chest.

_Will you go to Prom with me? _

_Check yes or no._

Eli smiled down at me as I read the words written in marker. I can't believe he did this. He made me think that he didn't want to go to Prom when this whole time he had been planning this. I began laughing as I stared at his chest, looking at the words and the boxes to check _yes_ or _no_.

I placed my hands on his chest, kneeling up on my knees and sliding my hands up to his shirt that he was holding. I lifted his shirt over his head, smiling at him as I threw it to the floor. He raised his eyebrow, as I placed my hands on the side of his face, bringing him in for a kiss. We fell back on his bed, our kiss never breaking.

Everything moved so fast. One minute we're kissing with Eli straddling me and the next I'm lifting my hands above my head as Eli slips my shirt off of me. He throws the shirt to the floor, immediately leaning down to re-attach our lips. I could feel a tension build in my lower region as Eli's hands ran slowly down to my hips, gripping them gently. I slowly slid my hand down and over his, bringing it up and placing it on my left breast. He broke the kiss and looked at me, staring me in the eyes with a shocked expression.

He licked his lips before squeezing my breast softly, watching as I let out a soft moan. He leaned down and pressed his lips to my neck; my eyes fluttered closed at the feeling. He nipped and sucked on my skin as he palmed my breasts with both hands.

My hand slid up to the back of his head; my fingers running through his dark locks. He trailed his lips back up to mine, his hands never loosing movement on my breasts. He slid his tongue in my mouth, massaging it against mine. I grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling slightly as I bit his lip, hearing him moan in his throat. He pulled back, his bottom lip still between my teeth as I smiled, finally letting it go.

I swiftly flipped us over so I was straddling him. I flipped my hair to one side, smiling down at a very amused Eli.

"We have a problem." I told him, placing my hands on his chest.

He scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion, asking, "We do?"

I nodded, leaning down and pressing my lips to his ear. "You sir, are wearing too much clothing." I ran my finger across the waistband of his paints, my tongue poking out to lick the shell of his ear.

"We should solve this problem then, shouldn't we?"

I smiled and leaned back, pressing my lips to Eli's as my fingers worked on his pants. I quickly undid the button before pulling down the zipper. I tore my lips from Eli's as I pulled his pants down to his mid-thigh before he kicked them off, making me take note of the bulge in his boxers. I leaned down and kissed him again, my hand sliding down his bare chest, feeling his muscles contract under my touch. I made it down to the waistband of his boxers before slowly sliding my hand behind it.

Eli pulled his lips from mine abruptly, making me stop all movements. He stared at me, watching as I suddenly felt uncomfortable. I pulled my hand away, confused. I thought Eli would have wanted this.

"You don't have to do this." He whispered.

"I want to." I told him. "The last time we did anything intimate I felt clueless, and I don't want that anymore. I want to be able to…"

"Pleasure me." Eli finished for me. I could only nod. Eli smirked smugly and placed his hands behind his head, saying, "I'm waiting."

My eyes widened as my jaw dropped. I grabbed one of his pillows and hit him with it, hearing him chuckle as he tried to block his body from any more hits.

"I'm kidding. But… are you sure you want to do this?"

I nodded. "It's only a hand job."

Eli gasped and placed his hand over his heart. "Only a hand job? Is it only air that we breathe? Only blood that courses through our veins? You obviously have no experience."

I blushed, knowing his last statement was actually true. "Would you just shut up, please?"

Eli pressed his lips together and held his hands up in defense. I took a deep breath and leaned down, pressing my lips to his, once again. His hands cupped my face, keeping me close as our lips moved in sync. I slid my hand to the waistband of his boxers, once again, and pulled them down slowly. I had no idea why I wanted to do this. I mean, I don't have any experience. The only experience I have is from what I've read. I guess I'll just have to wing it.

I moved my hand and wrapped it around Eli's shaft, feeling him gasp against my lips. He moved his hands from my face and to my hips, gripping them once I started to move my hand. I stared into his eyes, watching his face expression change each time I moved my hand. I began a slow pace, moving my hand up and down, as I leaned down and pressed my lips to Eli's. Our lips moved in sync as my hand kept its pace.

I gave a gentle squeeze, testing the waters, causing Eli to break our kiss, moaning. I felt a little better, so I began to move my fist faster. Eli's breathing hitched, his eyes staring into my own. I moved my fist a bit faster, not knowing exactly if I was doing this right.

"Clare…" Eli moaned. Hearing him moan my name just made this even better. I guess I was doing something right. I moved my fist faster, watching his eyes close as he licked his lips. I leaned down and pressed my lips to his neck, nibbling and sucking, anything to give him more pleasure. Eli moaned and his hands gripped my hips tighter.

"Faster." He whispered. I complied and moved my fist faster. I gave another gentle squeeze, hearing him moan in his throat. I placed open mouth kisses on his neck as my hand sped its movements.

"Eli! I'm home!"

My head shot up as Eli's eyes snapped open, both of us in shock. My hand had stopped, as did my heart. It was CeCe

"Shit." Eli mumbled as he tried to get up, but I pushed him back down. I knew he wasn't finished yet, and I was determined to make him finish.

"You've got forty-five seconds to get your shit together." I whispered, watching as Eli nodded in shock. I pressed my lips to his once again and moved my hand even faster than it was before. Eli moaned as my tongue entered his mouth. I pumped my fist, trying to get him to reach his peak before his mom caught us.

I bit down on his bottom lip, knowing what that does to him. Eli broke the kiss and moaned, his eyes rolling back as he came. He panted harshly as I wiped my hand on his boxers. I pressed my forehead to his, watching as he opened his eyes to look in mine. He laughed and brought his hand up, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

"That was fucking amazing." He whispered. "No experience my ass."

I giggled and rolled off of him so he could pull his boxers back up. "I'm just that good."

I felt relieved that I had made him cum. It would have been humiliating if I wasn't good enough.

I got up and grabbed my shirt, along with Eli's and tossed it to him. I pulled mine over my head and turned to see Eli pulling his pants on.

"Eli?" CeCe called up from the stairs.

"I'm coming." He yelled down to her before walking over to me.

"Guess that's my cue." I said, walking over to his window.

Before I could reach the window, I felt a hand being wrapped around my arm before I was pulled back. My chest was pushed against Eli's, my nose brushing his, our eyes locked.

"You never gave me an answer." He whispered. I smiled and pressed my lips to his, giving him a sweet kiss.

"Yes."

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><p><strong>Fail. The ending was rushed, sorry! Sorry for the wait, again. I don't know when the next chapter will be up. <strong>

**Reviews? :)**


	8. The past always comes back to haunt you

I Can't Stay Away Chapter 8

**Sorry for not updating sooner. I got kind of sidetracked with school and what not, so yeah. But I will try and get this updated as soon as I can. **

**READ: I will be posting another story, so keep an eye out for that. I think it will be posted tomorrow? I'm not sure. **

**Warning: It's not **_**that**_** much, but it's something. ;)**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>: Clare gets new neighbors; the Goldsworthy's. Turns out she and Eli's parents have long history and are at war with each other. Their parents forbid them to see each other, but when the two find an attraction to each other, they can't stay away.

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV <strong>_

"So then she was like, "You have a really bad temper" and I was like "I do not" and she was like "You do too" and she just wouldn't give it up, so I decked her in the nose." Imogen said from beside me, sucking on her lollipop.

I was organizing my locker, after realizing that it was impossible to find anything in the mess that it was, and Imogen was standing beside me, telling me how she and Marisol had gotten in a fight. I just stood there, pretending to listen since there was a very sexy boy invading my thoughts. But that last sentence did catch my attention.

I shot my head towards her, "You punched her?"

Imogen smiled devilishly and laughed, "No, but that got your attention, didn't it?" She stuck her lollipop back in her mouth before pulling it out. "No, I didn't punch her, but I called her a home wrecker."

I gave her a confused look before going back and placing my books in places that would be easier for me to find in between classes.

"Didn't you hear? KC cheated on Jenna with Marisol."

"Doesn't Jenna and KC have a baby?" I asked without taking my gaze off of my locker.

"Yeah, a son. Tyson. But they gave him up because Jenna realized that they aren't capable of raising a baby at this age." I could hear Imogen sticking her lollipop in her mouth and twirling it around her teeth.

I turned and gave Imogen a look, making her throw her hands up in defense. "What? I'm a very keen observer."

I rolled my eyes and let out a short laugh before turning back to my locker. Imogen checked her watch and noticed that we only have a few minutes before class, so she turned and opened her locker. I glanced over and noticed how little was in her locker. There were only a few books on the top shelf and a mirror on the locker door.

"Where is all your stuff?" I asked.

Imogen stared in her locker before turning to me. "I only keep my books in here. I always carry my stuff with me in my bag." She pointed to her green bag that was resting on her side, the strap hung over her shoulder. "I don't trust anyone in this school. I feel my stuff is safer on me then in my locker."

I pressed my lips to a line and turned back to my locker, looking at what I've done. It wasn't the cleanest locker, but it would have to do for now. I grabbed my books for my next class and closed my locker, locking it afterwards.

"So did Adam ask you to Prom yet?" I asked her with a grin.

Even without turning her head to look at me, I could tell she was blushing. She mumbled, "Maybe..."

I squealed, causing some heads to turn, but I ignored them. "How did he do it?"

"Well... this is the cheesiest thing you will ever hear. He took my on a picnic, just for a date or something, and he gave me a fortune cookie. When I opened it there was a little piece of paper that looked like a fortune, but it said _will you go to prom with me?"_ I could see her lips curl up into a smile as she talked.

I squealed again and started jumping around, my jaw hurting from smiling so wide. Suddenly, I felt an arm being wrapped around my waist as a body was pressed to mine. I could feel their breath on my ear as their scent intoxicated me, letting me know it was Eli. I smiled and turned my head, burying it in his neck.

"Talking about me?" Eli asked smugly.

"Yeah. About how big of a douche you are." Imogen said, turning her head slightly to give him a smile, letting him know she was just teasing.

"A very sexy douche." I said seriously, glancing up to look at him. He glanced down at me and smirked. "But still a douche." His smirk dropped as he thought I was serious. I laughed and turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him a hug.

"I'm only teasing." I turned my head to the side and placed a kiss just below his ear.

"CLAAAAAAAAAAARE!" I heard someone scream from down the hall, making me let go of Eli and look down towards the front doors, only to see Adam running towards us. He finally stopped when he reached us, panting. Imogen came by his side, rubbing his back as he was bent over. His hands were placed on his knees as he tried to gain his breath.

"Your," pant. "Mom," deep breath. He heaved and Imogen threw her hands up.

"Oh for crying out loud, drink this!" She pulled a water bottle from her bag and handed it to him. We all watched as he gulped about half of it down.

"Okay, now start from the beginning. What about my mom?" I asked once he pulled the bottle from his lips.

"Your mom. She's outside- scratch that." Adam looked behind me with a worried expression. "She's right there."

We all turned our heads to see that my mother, was in fact, walking through the front doors of the school. Panic overtook me and I began looking around hurriedly. Eli seemed to be doing the same as we realized we were not allowed to see each other. I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing I could do.

I saw that Imogen's locker was still open, so I quickly pushed Eli and forced him inside of it.

"You have got to be kidding me." Eli said as he tried to stop me from pushing him inside of it.

"Please? If you do this for me, I'll... I'll give you the hottest make-out session you could ever imagine." I begged, intertwining my fingers together as I held my hands in front of me in a begging sort of way.

He stared at me as if contemplating my offer. He glanced back at me mother, then back at me. He sighed, "Fine. But you owe me."

I sighed happily and smiled as Eli turned and squished in Imogen's locker. I shut the door and stood in front of it, turning to see my mother was only five seconds away from us.

"Mom! What are you doing here?" I asked as she approached us, trying to look as casual as I could.

"You forgot your lunch, sweetie." She responded, handing me the bag that was in her hand. I slowly took it from her, staring at her awkwardly. She was smiling brightly as she looked at the three of us, soon realizing how awkward we looked.

Suddenly, a sneeze was heard from inside Imogen's locker, causing my eyes to widen. My mother looked at me confused. Imogen and Adam had wide eyes also as they looked at each other, wondering what to do.

Imogen then brought her hands up to cup around her nose as she pretended to sneeze.

"Stupid allergies." Imogen laughed. I was shocked. My mom looked at us, eyeing us suspiciously.

"Yeah, she's been sneezing like crazy." Adam joined in.

I made a mental note to thank them later. I looked at my mother who looked as if she actually believed them.

"Oh, well, I have to go now. It was nice seeing you both." She said to Imogen and Adam, who nodded in response. "See you at home sweetie." She said to me before walking away.

I smiled and waved, along with Imogen and Adam, as she left and walked down the hall and through the front doors.

I let out a sigh of relief, leaning back on the lockers.

"Can I come out now?" I heard Eli ask from inside the locker.

I turned around and opened the locker door, watching as Eli stumbled out of the locker and gasped for air over-dramatically. I rolled my eyes. He stopped and laughed, turning around to look at us. He frowned once he saw the weird looks on our faces. He cleared his throat before turning on the balls of his feet and walking down the hall.

I said goodbye to Adam and Imogen before chasing after Eli. I swiftly turned in front of him, causing him to stop in his tracks. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek over and over again.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." I said once I pulled back to look at him.

He chuckled. "Well just remember, you owe me." He winked, causing me to laugh. The bell rang and soon after the hallway was becoming empty. I noticed an empty classroom behind me, my lips curling up as I got an idea.

"What class do you have?" I asked, looking back at Eli.

"P.E." He sighed.

"Well, would you mind skipping?"

He looked at me curiously. "And what would we be doing instead?"

I smirked and grabbed the collar of Eli's shirt, walking backwards towards the classroom, pulling Eli along. He smirked with amusement as we entered the classroom. I turned and closed the door, locking it. I turned around faced Eli, noticing he was sitting on one of the desks. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, his hands rested on my hips as I stood between his legs.

I leaned closer to him, watching as his lips parted slightly. I poked my tongue out and teasingly licked his bottom lip, staring into his eyes. I pulled my tongue away before leaning in and taking his bottom lip in between my teeth. He made a sound of appreciation, but whimpered when I pulled away, removing myself from him.

"Sit down." I pulled a chair from a desk and he sat down on it.

I placed my hands on his shoulders, swinging my leg around him and straddled his waist. He placed his hands on my waist, but I swatted them away. He pouted but I held up a finger, giving him a warning look. He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, looking up at me. I smiled devilishly and leaned down, pressing my lips to his neck. I felt his arms slowly uncrossing before they slowly fell to his sides; he hummed with pleasure as I left open mouth kisses on his neck.

I felt his hands run up my sides, so I pulled my mouth away from his neck and grabbed his wrists, looking at him.

"Stop." I told him, giving him a look that told him I wasn't kidding.

He sighed but obeyed nonetheless, placing his hands down by his sides. I smiled and leaned down, kissing his lips before trailing my lips down his jawline, and to his neck. I ran my hands down his chest until I hit the bottom of his shirt, placing my hands beneath it, running my fingertips over his skin. I moved my hands up his chest, my lips working on his neck; I heard him groan as I raked my fingernails down his chest.

I nipped and sucked on his skin, moving to the other side of his neck to do the same treatment. I rolled my hips to his, and he let out a throaty moan. I did it once more, pulling my head back to look at him as he let out a growl. "God, Clare, please let me touch you."

I giggled and gave a nod, suddenly feeling Eli's arms wrap around my waist and lifting me up as he sprinted to the wall, holding my body up against it. I gasped for air and stared into his eyes, now seeing that they were darker than usual. He was panting, his eyes never leaving mine. We both leaned forward and crashed our lips together, my hands finding the back of his head as my fingers threaded through his hair. I moaned as his tongue slid into my mouth, wrestling it against mine.

Eli pulled away and set me down, his arms staying locked around me.

"You really know how to turn a guy on." He muttered, causing me to laugh. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his torso, placing my head into the crook of his neck.

A few minutes later, we were making our way out of the classroom, making sure no one was currently in the hallway. I patted my hair down as I walked out of the room, followed by Eli. We kissed and said our goodbyes, before heading our separate ways.

But what I didn't know was that we were being watched.

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><p>I walked to my Math class, noticing the door was open. The teacher was at the board, writing something down. I chewed on my bottom lip and turned around, walking into the classroom backwards. Most of the students were watching me, wondering what I was doing, but I only continued walking backwards. The teacher turned around and I stopped in my tracks, just as she saw me.<p>

"Clare, where are you going?" She asked, making me mentally smile as I knew she was falling for the plan. I shrugged and she pointed to my seat, "Please sit back in your seat."

I shrugged once again and walked to my seat, winking at Imogen, who giggled in return. I took my seat and put my hand out to her, feeling her place her hand over mine as we did our handshake. I pulled my hand back and smiled, leaning back into my seat.

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><p>I clutched my stomach, knowing I needed to calm down by how much it hurt. I wiped the tears from my eyes that had appeared from laughing so hard. Imogen was in the same situation as I was as we both tried to contain our laughter. Adam had told a joke, and at the moment, I don't even remember what it was, all I know it that it was freaking hilarious.<p>

We all calmed down, trying to get our breathing to a regular state before we died. I finally stopped laughing, and just as I was about to get into a conversation with Imogen and Adam, I noticed something from the corner of my eye.

Eli. With a bloody nose.

My smile instantly fell as he got closer to our table, noticing the bloody tissue pressed up to his nose. Adam, Imogen and my eyes were all on him as he threw his bag on the table and sat down next to me, looking pissed off, avoiding eye contact with all of us. I studied him, watching as his leg shook under the table, his eyes looking around us, but never at our faces, the way he was slouched over the table, like he felt out of place. I wanted to know what happened, but I didn't ask. I figured if he hadn't told us by now, he didn't want us to know.

So, instead, I scooted closer to him, turning his head towards me and taking the bloody tissue in my hand and wiping the blood from under his nose. He didn't move away, just watched as I concentrated on cleaning the blood for him. As I moved my hand, I noticed his lip was busted, also. He must have noticed how my hand had stopped and my eyes had stayed glued to his lip, because he tugged his lip into his mouth, muttering the words, "I'm fine." But I paid no attention to what he was saying. The only thing on my mind was wondering how this happened. More importantly, why.

"Are you okay, dude?" Adam asked, breaking me from my thoughts. I went back to cleaning Eli's nose, glancing at Imogen who looked as worried and confused as I was.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… ran into a door." Eli replied, making me glance at Adam and Imogen who didn't look too convinced. I finished cleaning his nose, sighing as I put the tissue on the table. I turned to look at Eli, trying to ignore the cut on his lip and how there was still a little bit of blood coming from his nose.

"Who punched you?" I asked, causing Eli's eyes to dart towards me. He stared in my eyes for a few moments before turning his head away, looking at his hands which were lying on the table, intertwined with one another.

"I told you, I ran into a door."

"I'm not an idiot, Eli. I know the difference between what a door does to you and a what a fist does to you." I said, getting fed up.

Eli sighed in defeat, his eyes staying on his hands. "I don't know his name. I've never talked to him in my life. I was in the bathroom and he walked in. He started talking to me about…"

"About what?" I asked.

"You." Eli answered, looking up at me. I raised my eyebrows. "He said that he saw us around school, and that he didn't like it. Because you were his first, and you still are."

I swear my eyebrows were so high that you couldn't even see them anymore. My jaw was to the floor, my eyes as wide as saucers. I turned to Imogen, who had the same look on her face. Adam had his hands up to his face, obviously not wanting to go through this again. Adam ran his hands through his hair, looking shocked and angry.

"I'm guessing you guys know who I'm talking about." Eli said, looking at all of us.

I nodded, bringing my hand up to my mouth to cover it as my elbow rested on the table. I closed my eyes, feeling Eli shift uncomfortably next to me. I couldn't believe it. This could not be happening. I thought this was over and done with. Why does my past have to come and bite me in the ass?

Just as Eli was about to say something, the doors to the cafeteria opened, and in walked my worst nightmare.

Eli turned to look at him, muttering the words, "That's him." He then turned to face me, his eyebrows pinned together in confusion. "Who exactly is _him_, anyways?"

I gulped. I never wanted to have this conversation with Eli. I thought _he_ was in the past, and I thought that's where _he_ would stay. Clearly, I was wrong.

"That's Chase. My ex-boyfriend."

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><p><strong>Sucky ending, but I didn't know how else to end it. Sucky chapter, but that's all I could come up with at the moment. But there will be more drama, and you will soon find out the story that the parents are hiding! :) <strong>

**So, there is an ex-boyfriend involved. This is going to be a big part of the story. It's not just something I threw into it. It actually leads up to something. Trust me; I've got this whole thing planned out. :)**

**Reviews? :)**


	9. Little Bit of Truth

I Can't Stay Away Chapter 9

**... umm... Hi? **

**If anybody is reading this still, I am SO sorry for the wait. School is getting out of hand and I am too involved in a new story, **_**Immortal Night**_**; go check it out! :P BUT, this story will also be one of my main priorities. I was in school and got an idea, so I will be writing this story more often. **

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I think **_**Past Praying For**_** will have a little more of a wait since my beta kind of went MIA on me, so if anyone is interested, PM me. Otherwise it will be a while for an update. **

**READ: There was an anonymous review saying that they wished I used Jake or Fitz as the ex-boyfriend, but I like Fitz and Jake too much to do that. You'll understand later on. This Chase character adds a lot of drama. ;)**

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV<strong>_

I had been staring at the T.V for about an hour now. I had put a show on, but I wasn't able to watch it. I had too much on my mind. Actually, it was just one thing; Chase. I couldn't get his face out of my head. When I told Eli who Chase was, it was like Chase knew I was talking about him. He looked over at me and smirked, obviously pleased that Eli let me know that he was back. Chase had been expelled from Degrassi because of previous events, so what in the world was he doing back? The only way Chase could get back in Degrassi after you've been expelled is probably by using his mom; she was really good friends with Mr. Simpson.

I had been sitting on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, chewing on my thumb nail ever since I got home. No matter what I tried, I just couldn't get him out of my mind. Chase is dangerous, and the fact that he already went after Eli scared the shit out of me. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to Eli because of me.

I heard the front door open and close, but I didn't move. I didn't have the energy.

"Hello honey, how was school today?" My mom asked.

_Oh, you know. My boyfriend, who I am forbidden to see, was attacked by my ex-boyfriend, who was violent our whole relationship, and I can't even vent to you about it because then you'll make sure I can't see Eli, which scares me even more. _

"Fine." I said instead.

"So," she walked over and sat beside me on the couch. "Did that boy you like ask you to Prom?"

I closed my eyes and mentally slapped myself. I was too busy thinking about chase that I forgot I was supposed to go dress shopping with Imogen. I guess I'll have to cut this conversation short and call Imogen.

"Yeah." I answered.

Mom squealed and clapped her hands together excitedly. "That's amazing!"

"Yeah, it is." I answered. "I actually have plans to go dress shopping with Imogen, so may I be excused?" I asked, unwrapping the blanket form my body and standing up from the couch.

"Oh, of course. I can't wait to see it."

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><p>"What about this one?" I heard Imogen ask.<p>

"It's great." I said, not even glancing at the dress she was trying to show me. I haven't even tried looking for a dress; I had just been staring off into space since we entered the store.

"Clare." Imogen snapped her fingers in my face and I blinked, returning to reality.

"Hm?" I muttered, finally looking at her as she rolled her eyes.

"What's gotten into you?" She asked as she sat us down on a bench in the store, her hand resting on my arm. "Ever since lunch you have been in your own little world. What's up?"

I sighed, seeing the worry in her eyes. Imogen is my best friend and I felt like an idiot to not realize that I could talk to her about everything.

"It's Chase." I said, and Imogen's expression hardened. "Imogen, he's back and I don't know what to do. He already went after Eli, who knows who he'll go after next. It could be you or Adam or me –"

I was interrupted when her hand had slapped my cheek. It wasn't hard, it barely hurt, but it shocked me.

"Clare, stop worrying. You know that he can't touch you; he'll get expelled again and I don't think he'll take that chance. Besides, Prom is right around the corner, so please, stop worrying. Just think about how amazing Eli will look in a tux." She winked and I giggled.

"Eli in a tux? Now _that_ I have to see." We both giggled before we got up and went looking around for dresses.

We spent an hour just looking around, spotting a few cute dresses and holding them up to our chests to the other, making funny faces. The hour was filled with laughter and jokes, making me forget everything. It felt good to not worry about everything and to just have fun with my best friend.

"Clare!" Imogen yelled with joy.

I ran over to her to see she was holding a dress. It was a maroon red with black designs all over it, making it look like something a dark empress would where in a fairy tale. It has a black ribbon around the waist and was strapless. I looked at Imogen, noticing the huge grin on her face and the light in her eyes as she stared at it. I could tell she was completely in love with it.

"It's prefect." I told her, causing her grin to grow bigger. I knew it was the one for her.

"Do you think Adam will like it?" She asked and I scoffed.

"Like it? I think as soon as he sees you he'll be drooling like a dog."

She giggled and held the dress in her arms as we began looking around again.

Thirty minutes passed, and I still haven't found my dress. I figured I wouldn't find it and thought about going home to pick something from my closet. As we made our way out of the store, my feet suddenly stopped as my eyes caught a dress in the corner near the doors. I slowly walked over to it and pulled it out, a small gasp escaping my lips.

The dress was simple. It was a white, thins strap, knee length dress with a white belt just under the breasts, which was covered with diamonds. It was perfect. I smiled as I took it into my hands before turning to Imogen, who smiled and nodded, telling me it was the one.

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><p>"Guys, there goes another one." Imogen said happily as she pointed at the night sky with her finger. I looked up and saw a shooting star. I smiled softly, loving the way the stars looked. This is what I loved about Adam's backyard; you could see the stars clearly at night.<p>

I shifted and turned to look at Eli, who was staring up at the night sky. We were currently lying in the grass, just watching the stars. Imogen and Adam were sitting on Adam's hammock, cuddled up together. I tried to get the hammock before they did, but it didn't work. I was sitting on it, feeling happy that I got it before Adam, but he walked over and flipped me off of it before he and Imogen climbed onto it.

"I bought my dress today." I whispered to Eli, causing him to look down at me.

"What color is it?" He asked.

"You'll have to wait and see." I stuck out my tongue and squealed when Eli leaned forwards and bite my tongue softly. I giggled as Eli winked.

"Well, it better match my blue tux, otherwise we would look stupid." Eli said, causing me to look at him, horrified. He looked at me and laughed, "I'm kidding."

I sighed in relief and smiled as he kissed my forehead.

Adam and Imogen got up, saying that they are going to go get some drinks before disappearing into the house. I smiled and then rolled onto Eli so my legs were on either side of him, our chests still touching. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to him. I moved my head so I was looking at him; he must have felt my gaze because he looked down at me. I smiled a toothy grin and he smirked.

"I have something for you." I told him, making his eyebrows rise.

"And what might that be?" He asked.

I smiled before reaching into my back pocket, pulling out two tickets and holding them in front of him. His eyes widened and he grabbed the tickets from my hand, staring at them in awe.

"Tickets to Dead Hand!" He exclaimed, causing me to giggle. "Wha – how? Why?"

"Because," I began, moving up his body so our faces could be closer. "I figured it would be fun. Besides, it's for me too." I stuck my tongue out at him and he chuckled.

"You have no idea how happy this makes me." He smiled and his eyes brightened, causing my own smile to form.

"Is there… something that you would like to say to me?" I asked, hoping he knew what I wanted to hear.

"Oh right, of course," he began. "Thank you."

My smile dropped. "You're welcome, but is there anything else?"

"You're amazing?"

"Anything else? You know, three words, eight letters." I kept hinting, wanting him to catch on.

He squinted his eyes and looked up at the night sky, looking as if he was thinking. He was mumbling to himself, probably trying to figure out what I was trying to hint to. Suddenly, his face had the look of realization on it. He slowly looked at me and licked his lips, avoiding eye contact.

My face dropped as I realized he wasn't going to say it.

"Adam and Imogen seem to be talking a long time. Maybe I should go help them." He said and gently pushed me off of him. My heart just broke.

"Don't change the subject." I told him as he stood up.

He sighed as he stood with his back towards me, his hand running through his hair. "I care about you a lot, Clare. I do. I've never felt like this with anyone else. But I'm not going to tell you what you want to hear; it's not the right moment. But when it is, you'll know."

He began to make his way to Adam's back door, placing his hand on the doorknob, but stopped. He turned to look at me and smirked. "But, I'm not saying it first."

I rolled my eyes as he opened the door and walked inside. I fell back onto the grass, looking up at the stars again.

If that was a bet, he's on.

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><p>When I walked into school the next day, I wasn't prepared for what I was about to see.<p>

Imogen and I were laughing for an unknown reason as we walked into Degrassi. Once we got inside, I pinned my eyebrows together when I saw a large crowd of students cheering. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was a fight between some bozos. I was about to walk past the fight and ignore it but stopped when I saw Adam; he was standing way inside the group of students with a front row seat to the fight. I knew it was him by his beanie.

I grabbed Imogen's arm and pulled her with me as I pushed through the crowd, bumping into bodies as they kept cheering, not even noticing me. When I finally made it to Adam, I took a breath of air, finally able to breath. I was about to ask Adam what was going on but stopped when I noticed how scared he looked as he stared at the two who were fighting. I turned my head to look at the two stubborn people that were fighting, my eyes widening the instant my eyes had landed on the two.

Chase. Eli. Fighting.

Chase was on top of Eli, punching him in the gut. Eli was groaning in pain and I noticed his lip had been split open, blood trickling down his chin. Suddenly, Eli had flipped them over and was now pounding on Chase's face. I was too shocked to do anything, so I just watched. I watched as Chase tried to throw punches at Eli, but Eli kept beating him to the punch. Literally.

I finally snapped back into reality. I dropped my bag to the ground and ran over to them, yelling at them to stop it. But of course, they wouldn't listen.

I tried again, only to fail. I huffed in frustration before I walked behind Eli and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him off of Chase. Eli kept throwing punches as he let out animalistic growls. I have never seen this side of Eli and it scared me. I finally pried him off of Chase, who quickly stood up, wiping his bloody nose. They were both panting, their chests heaving as they breathed heavily, glaring at each other.

Chase started chuckling with no humor, trying to provoke Eli even more. "I see the bitch wears the pants in this relationship."

Suddenly, Eli was charging at Chase but I quickly ran in front of him, placing my hands on his rapidly rising and falling chest. "Stop, he's not worth it."

Eli didn't look at me, but I knew he heard me. I turned to look at Chase, and I noticed him lick his lips before he eyed me up and down. He scoffed, "I don't know why you're with him."

I moved away from Eli and stood in front of Chase, staring up at him. He was much taller than me, but I wasn't scared. Not anymore.

"That's funny, because I do." I said. Chase cocked his eyebrow, telling me to elaborate. "Because he's not you."

Chase glared at me but I didn't show emotion. "You're a stupid bitch, you know that? You were mine first before this bozo."

"Excuse me? I was never yours." I said, my voice filled with venom. "Yes, I admit that at one point, I actually thought you were a decent person." I stepped closer to him, whispering so no one else could hear me. "That is, before you beat me."

I stepped back from him and he chuckled with no humor. "Oh please, just admit it. You loved it when I was rough." He winked and my blood boiled.

Before I could process what happened, my hand had collided with his face, filling the halls with a _whip!_ sound.

"You lying asshole." I screamed. "What the fuck is your problem?" I yelled, my hands colliding with his chest. I punched and kicked and slapped, anything to try and cause him pain. He tried to get away from me but I jumped on him, bringing him to the ground. I began punching his face, not caring that I might get suspended from this.

I leaned down and whispered in his ear. "How does it feel to be on the other side of the fist?"

I kept pounding on him, screaming and calling him every curse word I could think of. All of the anger I was feeling had been bottled up inside me for the past year, and being able to finally let it out felt amazing.

I felt a pair of strong arms being wrapped around my waist before they pulled me off of Chase. I was kicking and screaming, trying to claw my way back to him, but failed. I was turned around and brought into someone's chest. It was then that I realized it had been Eli who had pulled me away; I gripped onto his shirt, realizing that I had tears streaming down my face.

"Shh, it's okay. Calm down." He whispered into my ear. "I'm here."

I quickly calmed myself down and wiped my tears away before turning to look at Chase. He had gotten up off of the ground, and I couldn't help but feel satisfied that I had done that to his face. His nose was bleeding again, his lip was busted and his eye was forming a bruise.

I turned to the crowd who had been watching the whole scene unfold. "There's nothing to see her, now go."

Everyone began to whisper to themselves but complied nonetheless. I turned back and wrapped my arms around Eli, feeling his arms wrap around me. I closed my eyes when I felt his lips on my forehead. Imogen and Adam came over and asked if I was okay, and I replied with an "_I'm fine"_.

Adam looked very angry and when he turned to look at Chase, I knew he was furious.

"What the fuck, man? Haven't you tortured her enough?" Adam asked coldly.

Chase scoffed, "Excuse me? I was the one who was just getting beat up."

"Yeah, and now you know how she felt during your guys' relationship." Adam said, and Eli's head shot up.

I quickly grabbed his face in my hands and made him look at me. He looked confused but I only told him to ignore it before pecking his lips. He didn't look convinced but he held me close.

Chase laughed darkly, "It's been a year, get over it."

"Fine," Adam began, his tone cold. "As long as you get over Clare."

Chase glared at Adam. He didn't respond to him, but said something else instead before walking away, my whole body shaking with fear.

"I'll get you."

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><p><strong>Sorry this chapter sucked and sorry it was so short, but I'm having trouble with this story. I know where I want to go with it, but it's just not coming out how I want it. :**

**There will only be about two or three more chapters left to this story. Everything will be answered very soon. :) **

**Sorry if there were any mistakes; I didn't read over it. I just finished it and wanted to update it since it's been so long. **

**Reviews? xoxo**


	10. Anywhere but here

I Can't Stay Away Chapter Ten

**Sorry for the wait. I've been busy. But, here is chapter 10. Not sure when chapter 11 will be up. I'm kind of getting writers block. Help? PM me if you would like to help me.**

**I used a scene from the Vampire Diaries in this, and if you know which scene then PM me and if you get it right, I'll give you a shout out! And possibly a sneak peak of the next chapter? ;)**

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV<strong>_

Walking into the gym, I sure didn't expect to see that many people. Normally, people would jump at the chance to skip prom. I mean, that's what I did last year. Dances aren't really my thing, especially not prom. But, now I have a reason to go, whether it was to go with Imogen or to go with Eli. Either way, I think I would have been here anyways.

Imogen and I walked to the punch table with our arms linked, waiting for our dates.

I looked around, realizing how people must have put a lot of effort into this. There were streamers hanging from every corner, the lights were blaring, the music is blasting, people are dancing; it seemed like a normal prom. This kind of disappointed me. I guess I was hoping for something to go wrong, for some messed up shit to go down. But, a girl can only dream.

"So," Imogen began, breaking me from my thoughts. "How do you expect the night to end? Disaster or happily ever after?"

"Hmm," I hummed before bringing a cup of punch up to my lips, taking a sip. "I'm kind of hoping for disaster. I kind of want to see Chantey get a glass of punch spilled on her."

Imogen giggled, "Or we could get a double and have a waiter slip, spilling meat all down the front of Jenna's dress."

I laughed, "Oh, what I'd pay to see that."

Imogen and I went on and on about what would make us love Prom even more; we were never really the type to be into Prom. I guess we'd rather sit at home and have a horror movie marathon and stuff our faces with junk food than go to Prom. Prom was just an easier way to make someone feel bad about themselves. There are always different groups; the ones who think their queens – Jenna, Marisol, Chantey and Holly J. Then there are the Jocks who think they can get laid whenever they want – KC and Owen. I would include Drew, but he is Adam's brother and he is actually a pretty decent guy. Then you have the people who came, but are planning on ditching the Prom to go and get a hotel room to trash. I couldn't really name anybody, since I normally stick to my own group. I'm more of a wallflower; I like to blend in with the background. Unlike Imogen who always stood out. It was always a wonder how we ever became friends.

"Hey," Imogen said, slapping my arm. "Check it out."

She then pointed across the gym, and when my eyes had followed her finger, I wished I hadn't. It was Chase with a whole bunch of his buddies. I grimaced as I watched him laugh with them, knowing they were probably talking about the one night stand they plan on doing. I shook my head and turned back to Imogen. She pressed her lips to a line before smiling at me with mischief.

Suddenly I felt an arm being wrapped around my neck, forcing me into s headlock. I squealed and tried getting free before I realized who it was. I turned my head to look up and saw Adam smirking down at me as I gave him a glare. I blew my hair out of my face before gripping his arms in my hands and trying to free myself. Imogen was laughing as she pulled out her phone to take pictures. Adam smiled a triumphal smile and I stuck out my tongue, knowing there was no way I could get out of this before she took the picture.

When I heard the click, signalling the photo had been taken, I swiftly got out of Adam's grip before twisting it behind his back. Imogen stared wide eyed with a grin as Adam tried to figure out how I just did that.

"The next time you decide to put me in a headlock, make sure there are no pretty girls around to distract you." I winked towards Imogen and she giggled.

I finally let Adam go as he laughed at my comment, moving towards Imogen and wrapping his arms around her waist. I smiled as I watched them share a kiss; they were so in love it was unbelievable. It was then that I realized Eli was nowhere to be found. He said he would be coming with Adam, so where is he?

"Hey, where's Eli?" I asked Adam. He looked up and looked around the gym, looking just as confused as I was in the fact that we couldn't find him. He suddenly stopped and pointed behind me, and as I turned around, I swear the whole world had disappeared.

I looked him up and down, breathing, "Wow…" as I took in his outfit. It wasn't the usual prom wear, but he sure did put some effort into looking a bit classier than he usually is, but not by much. He had his normal black skinny jeans and a pair of convers covering his feet, with a white V-neck t-shirt – and it surprised me how well white suited him – with a dark grey button up vest overtop, finished off with a black scarf around his neck. I knew he wouldn't dress up for prom; it wasn't his thing, and I didn't mind. I mean, it would be quite a sight to see him in a tux, but looking at him right now with his hair pushed back slightly made me realize he could be covered in mud and still look amazing to me.

"Shouldn't I be the one to be stunned?" He teased, and I frowned realizing that he wasn't looking at me the way I was to him. I'm not saying that he _should_ complement me about how I look, but it would be nice to hear it. His face suddenly fell as he realized the look on my face and he quickly stepped in front of me. "No, that's not- shit, look at me, five minutes and I'm already screwing everything up." His eyes looked me up and down and he took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out as he breathed, "You look beautiful, Clare."

"Nice save, machismo." Adam said and I watched as Eli turned and shot him a glare. I looked over at Adam who had his arm around Imogen's shoulders and I giggled at his comment.

I turned back to look at Eli as he glared at Adam. I grabbed his hand and pulled him out to the dance floor, although I could feel him pulling back. When I turned to look at him I could see the hesitation in his eyes, and I muttered the word, "Please?" in which he finally cracked and let me lead him though the dancing bodies.

The song was upbeat and when I turned to face Eli, I noticed him chewing on his bottom lip; a sign that he was nervous. He was watching everybody dance around him as he stood there, unsure of what to do. I grabbed his hands and he look at me oddly when I tried to get him to move to the beat. I started doing a move, causing him to let out a heartfelt laugh, watching me as I made a fool out of myself. He shook his head when I encouraged him to start moving to the beat, so I started circling him as I danced.

"Okay, I'm going to need a little more foot movement." I said into his ear, moving to the beat.

"Yeah, I'm not really interested in making a fool out of myself." He answered and I shot him a look as I made my way around him again. I kept dancing and I knew he had an amused smirk on his lips as he watched me.

"Come on, you're not _that_ bad." I teased, winking at him.

He chuckled. "Do me a favor; tell me if you see Adam with his camera phone."

I rolled my eyes but I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my lips. A very fast upbeat part of the song came on and I gripped Eli's shoulders, turning him around to face me, and I giggled at the shocked expression taking over his beautiful features. I turned around myself and grinded against him to the beat. Eli's arms wrapped around me and grabbed one of my hands before he spun me to face him, his other hand on my lower back as he pressed me to him. His lips captured mine in a kiss that left me breathless before he smirked and spun me away from him before pulling me back in so our noses were brushing.

"I thought you said you couldn't dance." I breathed as I noticed his smirk.

"I didn't say I couldn't dance, I just didn't want to." He said, and I gave him a playful glare as he chuckled.

The song ended and soon a slow song began to play, and when Eli's arms wrapped around my waist I was surprised, though I didn't object. I wrapped my arms around his neck as we slowly began to sway to the music. I stared into his eyes feeling as if suddenly everything was slowing down. All of the dancing bodies around us felt as if they were too far away to actually take up any of my attention. All I wanted to focus on was Eli and the way he was looking at me.

"Thank you," I said, earning a confused smile from Eli, "for the complement… and for coming to this thing with me. You didn't have to."

"I know I didn't have to, Clare, but I wanted to." He said softly.

I quirked an eyebrow. "Really? And why is that?"

His eyes shifted down to our feet, watching them carefully as if they had become the most interesting things in the world. He whispered, "Because it means a lot to you."

I tried to keep a straight face, but I couldn't help the giggles that escaped my lips as I began to laugh softly. His eyes shot up and he looked at me with a look of horror, thinking that I was making fun of him. I grabbed his face in my hands and calmed down, saying, "That's sweet, Eli, it is, but honestly… I could care less about Prom. I mean, it was more the thought of getting to spend a night of dancing and laughing with you that had gotten me all worked up about it in the first place. I just… wanted to be with you."

"Well if you just wanted to spend time with me, why did you think it had to be here?" he asked, and the tone in his voice sounded a bit cold. By now we had stopped dancing and my hands slid off of his face.

I blinked, "Because, Eli. It's not like we can go to each other's house. The only way that can happen is if your mom is gone, and I'm tired of being rushed out of your window when she does come back. I just thought that this could be a night where we weren't rushed."

"If you're so tired with sneaking around then why are you still with me?" He asked and there was no hiding the harsh tone in his voice.

I looked at him, appalled. "What is your problem, Eli?"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting it out as he opened them. "Nothing," he breathed, "I just… I need some air."

He walked past me, bumping my shoulder with his. I stood there in the middle of all of the happy dancing couples, feeling as if my heart had been ripped out as I watched all of their happy smiles as they danced with the ones they loved. I felt my lip quiver but I quickly blinked back the tears before making my way off the dance floor. I found a wall and pressed my back against it before sliding down to the floor. I didn't even care that my dress might get dirty.

I knew he needed to cool off and that if I followed him it would only make things worse. What was wrong with him? Did I say something that upset him? I told him how I wanted to be with him and he freaks out and starts talking about why I didn't leave him? What the fuck?

I glanced up when I felt someone's eyes on me and my gaze locked with Chase's. His face was serious as he took a sip from the cup in his hand, his eyes never leaving mine. He threw out his cup before telling his friends something and heading out of the gym. I sighed in relief, glad he wasn't in sight anymore.

Adam and Imogen appeared on either side of me, both of them with big smiles on their faces. At least they were having a good time.

"Why so glum, chum?" Adam asked, poking me in the cheek.

I sighed, "Eli flipped at me and I don't know why. He started freaking about why I'm still with him or something." I groaned and slammed my head against the wall behind me.

I was so confused! Why would he say something like that? Things were great, so why would he bring that up? Did he think that we wouldn't last and that sooner or later we would break up? Did he just think that we were a fling? Did he not want to be in a long lasting relationship? Or am I the problem?

"Clare, I think this is just new for him." Adam spoke up. "I mean, I don't know him all that well, but when we do hang out I can see just how much he likes you. We don't necessarily talk about you, but when you text him or call him his whole face lights up. It gets sickening after a while, but I figured eh, I probably look like that when Imogen text's me." Adam winked towards Imogen and she giggled.

I contemplated what Adam had said. Maybe Eli just thought that we wouldn't last long because of our parents. But I knew that even if our parents did find out about us, I sure as hell wouldn't give up without a fight. I like Eli too much to just let him go.

"I think you should go talk to him." Imogen said, giving my arm a squeeze.

I smiled and nodded. "Thanks guys."

I got up off of the floor to search for Eli. The hallways were pretty empty, so I figured it should be easy to find him. As I made my way down the hallway, I tried to think of what I would say to him. Should I tell him straight up that I won't give up on him if our parents find out? Should I tell him how I truly feel? Though it's not technically a bet, screw it, I'm going to tell him.

I turned the corner and nearly tripped when I saw Chase at his locker. He turned his head and stared at me for a moment before I saw him place something in the jacket pocket of his tux. He closed his locker and walked towards me, and I felt relieved when he passed by me. I kept going with my search for Eli and smiled when I saw him sitting on the floor, leaning against the lockers in an empty hallway. His vest was off and on the floor beside him, leaving him in his white V-neck. I quickly ran up to him and dropped to my knees in front of him. He jumped, startled, but soon relaxed when he saw it was me. He looked at me curiously, his eyes scanning my face.

"What are yo–" Before he could finish, I cut him off by leaning forward and pressing my lips to his. I could tell he was shocked by my sudden move, but he soon relaxed and his hand came up to cup my cheek as he kissed me back.

I pulled back and smiled at him, staring into his eyes. His eyes searched mine, waiting for me to say something. "I-"

Before I could finish I was cut off by the sound of metal hitting metal. We both turned our heads to the source of the noise and my eyes widened when I saw Chase… with a gun in his hand. The sick smile on his face told me that he was going to use it tonight, and that thought made my stomach churn.

"I knew you'd lead me to him." Chase spoke. "Thanks, Clear-Bear."

I winced at my old nickname. I slowly stood up and Eli followed, his hand finding mine as he pulled me behind him. Chase walked towards us, though he was taking his time. He spun the gun around his finger and I wondered if it was actually loaded. He could be trying to scare us. He wouldn't actually use it, right?

Right?

"What do you want, Chase?" I asked, moving to stand beside Eli.

"I think I made that pretty obvious, Clare. I want you back." He said and I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I crossed my arms across my chest. I had to show him that I wasn't scared of him, though inside I was.

"Well, that's not going to happen." I told him.

"And I know why." Chase said. He spun the gun on his finger one more time before pointing it at us. He looked at us, his head tilting slightly as he eyed us carefully. "It's because of him. With him out of the picture, we can be together." He pointed the gun at Eli and my eyes grew wide.

I quickly stepped in front of him, keeping him behind me. Eli tried to move me but I only whispered, "He won't hurt me. Just… stay behind me, please."

Eli finally stopped struggling and took my hand, holding it behind my back.

"Move Clare!" Chase yelled, and I shook my head. "I don't want to hurt you… but I will."

And I believed him.

"Chase, do you really think killing him will solve this?" I asked slowly. I knew he was venerable right now and I had to do everything I could to make sure that gun doesn't go off.

"Yes. He is the reason we can't be together. He is the reason why you don't love me anymore." I was shocked to see Chase had tears streaming down his cheeks. Did he really love me that much? No, if he loved me he wouldn't have treated me like he did. I think he just got too attached to me.

"Chase, if you kill him, you'll go to jail. And you'll never see me again." I said, slowly walking towards him. I planned on taking the gun from his hand, knowing if I didn't, he might shoot. Eli's hand slipped out of my own and I suddenly missed feeling his skin on mine.

"At least I'll know you'll be alone." I could tell he was close to shooting; his finger was on the trigger and his grip was tightening with each step I took. I finally made it right in front of him and stared into his teary eyes.

"Is that what you want? For me to be miserable?"

"No." he answered softly. "I want you to be happy… with me."

"Chase, I am happy. I'm happy with Eli. And if you pull that trigger you'll lose everything. You'll end up going to jail and you won't be out for a very long time. You'll only get to see your family once and a while. But, you won't see me ever again." I told him. "If you pull that trigger, I will hate you forever. And nothing you do will change that."

He looked at me with soft eyes and for a second I thought I had won. But, his eyes soon turned black as his features twisted with anger. "You already hate me, so what more damage could it do?"

He raised his hand and my eyes grew wide with terror as a loud shot echoed through the hall, followed by a scream. It took me a minute to realize the scream had come from my mouth, but when I turned around to face Eli, I couldn't breathe. His hand was covering the place just above his hip as thick red liquid poured out onto his white shirt. I felt anger flow through my body as I turned to look at Chase.

Suddenly, Adam and Imogen were running down the hallway and when they saw me, I quickly nudged my head to Eli, telling them to go help him. They quickly ran to his side and I could hear Imogen's cries. I turned back to Chase and quickly snatched the gun from him, bringing it up and pointing it at him. His eyes went wide and he raised his hands up.

"Clare, what are you doing?" He asked, obviously scared, and for once I felt power. I felt as if I was the one who called the shots now, not him.

I placed my finger on the trigger, knowing that with one pull everything would be done with. I would get my revenge and he would get what he deserved. It was then that I realized I had tears streaming down my cheeks as my shaking hands aimed the gun at him. I knew that if I pulled the trigger, I would lose everything. I wouldn't be able to see my family, my friends… or Eli. Though at this point I wasn't sure if I would ever get to see him again anyways, and that thought nearly killed me. I glared at Chase as I realized I wasn't able to go through with it.

I raised my hand and smashed the gun to the side of his head, watching as he fell to the floor. I dropped the gun to the floor and kicked it down the hallway just in case he wakes up and decides that he's not finished with us.

"Clare!" I heard Adam yell from behind me and I quickly turned around. I ran to them and dropped to my knees beside Eli. "I called 911 already."

My whole body was shaking as my hands found his wound. I bit my lip as I put pressure on it, hearing Eli cry out in pain. I knew it was hurting him, but I had no other choice. Adam was holding on to Eli's hand as Imogen cradled his head in her lap. I looked into Eli's eyes and suddenly regretted it, noticing how dull they were becoming. He was shaking and his skin was pale, his lips turning purple. Imogen's hand came up and wiped a tear from my face, though it was pointless because more had flooded out and down my cheeks.

"I – I can't f-feel my le-legs-s." I heard Eli mutter and I cried harder. This is all my fault. If I hadn't made such a big deal about Prom this would have never happened! Eli would still be alive and I wouldn't feel as if my heart had been ripped out.

I took Adam's hand and placed it on Eli's wound before I leaned up and grabbed Eli's face in my hands. I moved his bangs out of his eyes and choked on a sob once I saw his blood on my hands. Eli's hand reached up and he grabbed one of mine in his own, holding it tightly. I buried my head in his chest, crying into it. I hated myself. This is all my fault. Why couldn't Chase have sot me? I'd rather that over this any day.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I couldn't speak. Eli was dying and it was my fault. How will I ever live with myself if he doesn't make it. Just the thought of that breaks my heart more than it already is. I can't imagine my life without Eli. And that's when I knew I had to tell him.

I lifted my head and looked into Eli's eyes. I leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his purple lips, feeling just how cold they were. "I love you. Please, don't leave me. Not like this. I need you." I whispered, my hands running through his hair. "I love you."

His eyes closed and his hand went limp in mine and I cried harder. I pulled his body to me, not giving a crap about my dress. I could hear the sirens outside of the school and the paramedics running towards us. A few checked to see if Chase was okay and I felt like screaming at them and telling them to let him die and that Eli needed help. But nothing came out but sobs.

When they had reached us they pulled me from Eli and I flailed around, not wanting to leave him. Adam grabbed me and wrapped his arms around me in a hug, and I cried into his shoulder.

"He's still alive." I heard one of the paramedics say and I turned my head to watch them.

And as I watched them work on him, I did something I hadn't done in a while.

I fell to the ground with Adam following and I prayed.

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><p><strong>Crapy ending… oh who am I kidding, this was a crapy chapter. And for that I am sorry. I'm having troubles with writing this. I have it all planned out in my head but it's just not coming out the way I wanted it to.<strong>

**Sorry for any mistakes. I'll fix them later.**

**Anyways, tell me your thoughts. xoxo**


	11. In The Pain There Is Healing

I Can't Stay Away Chapter Eleven

**Thank you for the reviews; you guys are amazing. I love to see what you guys think and I'm glad I keep you on your toes. I hope this doesn't disappoint!**

**IMPORTANT!: There will only be two more chapters left. I don't think there will be a sequel, and I'm sorry for anyone who wanted one. **

_**DrayaEdzLovesEli**_**: You are amazing. You left me a review for almost every chapter that you read, and you only started a few days ago. That means a lot to me. And I'm glad you like this story! But please don't hate me! And don't you DARE pull out Twilight… I will find you and I will hurt you. That is a promise. ;)**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV<strong>_

Beep, beep, beep.

"Clare, you should go home and get some rest."

Beep, beep, beep.

"Clare, he'll be here when you get back."

Beep, beep, beep.

"Clare."

"I'm not leaving." I finally answered, my words mumbled. I shifted in the chair I was in; it was beginning to get uncomfortable. I gripped Eli's hand tightly, rubbing my thumb across the back of it.

Bullfrog sighed, but nodded and patted my shoulder. "Cece will be here soon. Are you sure you want to tell her?"

I nodded my head, "I don't want to keep it a secret anymore."

Bullfrog placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. He told me he was going to go get some coffee before he disappeared out the door. As soon as I heard the click of the door, I burst into tears. My head fell to the bed, my tears disappearing into the sheets. Eli has been unconscious for almost two days and with each passing second, my hope was crumbling down into nothing. I hoped, wished, prayed that he would wake up, but no such luck. I was beginning to wonder if there truly was a God. If there was, why would he put me through this? Is it to get back at me for lying to my parents about Eli and me? If it is, then it's a pretty _sick_ way to punish me.

Eli had had surgery and I was relieved to find out that the bullet didn't do any damage. It was a clean cut; through one end and out the other. The four hours he was in surgery for were the worst four hours of my life. I couldn't sit still. I was pulling at my hair, trying to think of something to get my mind off of him but to no avail. But when they had told me that everything was a success, and that all we had to do was wait for him to wake up, I felt as if there was still hope.

After we had arrived at the hospital on Prom night, Adam and Imogen had stayed with me for the night, but they decided it was time to go home and change and shower. They had told me to call them if anything happens and I agreed, not wanting to leave Eli's bedside. I know I looked like a mess; I haven't showered since Prom. I hadn't left the hospital, but when I called my mom to tell her to get to the hospital as fast as possible and to bring a change of clothes for me she had rushed over here with a t-shirt and sweatpants.

I remember the look on her face when she saw the blood on my dress. She started searching my body for any wounds until I had spoken up and told her it wasn't my blood. She had looked at me with horror, asking if it was Adam or Imogen's, but I had cut her off and told her it was Eli's. I knew she would be upset about it, but I had told her anyways. I had confessed everything to her and by the time I was done I had tears streaming down my face. I figured I would get some lecture about how wrong it was to do what I did, but she just pulled me close and tried to calm me down, whispering soothing things into my ear. She let me cry into her shoulder for a while before she pulled back and looked into my eyes and said, "We are going to talk about this later, but right now I know you want to be with him."

I had cried even harder after her words, realizing that this was a serious situation. Nonetheless, I had thanked her for the clothes and walked into Eli's room and into the bathroom before changing quickly. I had given the bloody dress to my mom who had kissed my forehead and left to go back home. She told me to call her if anything happened and I agreed, feeling a bit of happiness that my mom was being perfectly reasonable. For now, anyways.

But, Cece had yet to come; she had gotten stuck in traffic. I knew I had to tell her even if it was going to be without Eli, knowing that this secret had to come out into the open.

As if on cue, the door to the hospital room opened and I lifted my head, watching as Cece entered the room with Bullfrog behind her. I stood up and reluctantly let go of Eli's hand as she ran to the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she hugged him, crying into his shoulder. Bullfrog walked up behind her and rubbed her back, trying to sooth her. He looked up at me and gave me a small smile, and I tried to return it as I wiped my eyes.

Cece removed herself from Eli and wiped his hair from his face, tucking it behind his ears. She gave him a kiss on the forehead before lifting her head to look at me. She wiped her eyes and looked at me curiously.

"Clare?" She sniffled. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't sound upset about me being here, more shocked than anything, and I knew now would be the right time to tell her. I slowly moved around Eli's bed and stood awkwardly in front of her, looking into her teary eyes. She waited for me to speak as I stood there, twiddling my thumbs together.

"Can I speak with you, Mrs. Goldsworthy?" I asked softly, nudging my head to the door.

Cece looked at Eli, then at Bullfrog, who gave a nod, and then back to me. She nodded her head and wiped under her eyes once more before making her way to the door. Bullfrog gave me a smile as I followed Cece, closing the door behind me.

I sat in a chair next to Cece, wondering how I would start this. I wasn't sure what the outcome would be, and I didn't want to say anything to make her hate me and keep me away from Eli for good. I don't think I would be able to handle that.

"The reason I'm here is because…" I started, but realized I should start elsewhere. "I understand if you hate me after this, if you don't already, but you need to know the truth. You see, the night Eli and I met there was an instant spark between us, and I knew he could feel it, too. But when you and my mother had told us that we could never see each other again, we had no idea what was going on." I smiled softly at what I was going to say next, my eyes focused on my hands. "You see, the way our houses are set up lets Eli and I talk to each other through our windows, and that night we began talking and it sort of started a new friendship, though that spark was always there."

I paused, daring to look up at Cece, but she didn't look upset or angry. She looked like she was listening intently to what I had to say, so I continued.

"We kept talking every night through our windows, making this friendship of ours stronger. But then I found out that he was now going to my school, which made it a lot easier to hang out and talk. And because of that, my feelings for him grew and grew, until eventually we decided to start dating, to test out these new feelings." I looked at Cece, waiting for her to step in and tell me that was enough and that I should never speak to her son again, but she only told me to go on.

"So, we started dating and every day my feelings for him grew stronger, and I guess it was the same for him. Even though we weren't technically allowed to see each other, we still made it work. Everything was great and we were happy, until my ex-boyfriend came into the picture." Cece raised her eyebrows and I quickly scrambled to explain myself. "No, no, not like that. I used to be in a relationship with this guy named Chase, but I had broken it off when I realized how aggressive he was. He had gone away for a while, but he came back and things started to get bad."

I sighed, "Chase was never the one to give up without a fight, and when he realized that I was with Eli, he didn't like it. He said he wanted me back but I had told him straight up that I wanted nothing to do with him after what he did to me, and I guess he didn't like that answer." I took a deep breath and turned to face Cece. "Now, I understand if you blame me for what I'm about to say next, but please just let me finish before you start yelling at me."

Cece looked at me curiously but I continued to speak. "At Prom, Eli and I had gotten into a tiny fight over something stupid and he walked out of the gym. I gave him a little space, knowing that was what he needed, but when I saw Chase walk out of the gym after him, I felt a bit uneasy about it. My friends told me I should at least try and talk to Eli, so I had gone out to look for him. When I found him we had made up and I thought everything was fine, but I was wrong." I choked on a sob and Cece began to rub my back, catching me off guard, but I continued.

"Chase had a gun, and at first I thought he wouldn't do anything, that he only had it to scare us, but when I saw the look in his eyes I knew he planned on using it. I had tried to talk him out of it, I swear, I tried! But he wouldn't listen!" I cried and Cece wrapped an arm around me, bringing me to her chest. "He- he shot Eli. I'm sorry. I tried to get him back, I wanted to kill him, but I knew it wouldn't do anything." I cried into her shoulder and she just rubbed my back, rocking us slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. It's my fault."

"Shhh… no it's not. You had no control over this." She whispered into my ear.

I lifted my head to look at her, wiping my tears away. I sniffled and looked at her with confusion.

"Why aren't you upset? Why aren't you angry with me? It's my fault." I asked frantically.

"It's not you're fault, Clare." Cece's hand came up and wiped away one of my tears.

I felt my lip quiver. "I love him, you know. I love him so much, and I didn't get to tell him. I tried, but I think it was too late. So please, if you're going to keep him away from me, please just let me tell him before you do." I begged, just wanting to let Eli know how I feel. He needed to know.

"I'm calling your mother." Cece spoke and I nearly had a heart attack. My mother already knew, yes, but if Cece tells her that she doesn't want Eli and I seeing each other anymore, than that's it. That's the end of Eli and Clare.

"No, no, please, don't do that. Do not try and keep us apart any longer, that will only cause more pain. I can't – I can't handle more pain, I–"

"Clare, calm down. That's not what I was getting at. I just… when Eli is better, I think we should all sit down and have a talk. I think it's time you kids know the truth."

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><p>"Coffee?"<p>

I looked at the coffee cup Cece was holding out for me, slowly taking it my hands. I knew that if I didn't get some caffeine in me, I would fall asleep, and I didn't want that. I wasn't going to take a chance of me going to sleep and Eli waking up while I was unconscious. I wanted to be here when he opened his eyes, and that's what I planned on doing.

"Thank you." I told her, taking a sip.

She smiled and nodded before walking over and sitting next to Bullfrog, handing him a cup also. We had been sitting here for about three hours now, waiting for something to happen. I hadn't spoken much since my talk with Cece. I was too tired. I felt too drained to even force a smile.

My eyes landed on Eli who lay perfectly still in the hospital bed, and I couldn't help but think how odd it looked to see that pale blue covering his chest. That stupid night gown the hospital makes patients wear did not look good on him, and I almost smiled at the thought of what he would say if he were awake. My bottom lip started to quiver and I knew I was about to have another break down as I let out a choked sob, my hand coming up to cover my eyes. I cried in the corner of the room, cuddled in a very uncomfortable hospital chair, trying so hard to stop blaming myself. My chest heaved as I cried harder, and for a moment I couldn't breathe. Everything was just so surreal. This whole situation was just too much to handle.

I felt a strong arm being wrapped around me and when I realized it was Bullfrog, I cuddled into him. I cried into his chest and I felt Cece walk over and place a comforting hand on my back. She rubbed it softly and pulled me into a hug, the three of us a tangle of tears.

"I'm so, so sorry." I choked out.

They both pulled me closer, whispering soothing things in my ears, though it did everything but make me feel better.

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><p>"Clare? Clare, honey, wake up."<p>

My eyes fluttered open and I blinked rapidly, seeing Cece come into vision. I stared at her for a moment, trying to remember when I had fallen asleep. I looked around the room, looking for any sort of change, but everything look the same as it did before, even Eli. He still lay there; the only movement was his chest as it rose and fell softly from his breathing.

"What's going on?" I asked, sitting up in the chair, stretching. "Is everything okay?"

Cece smiled softly, "Everything is fine, I just know that you wouldn't like it if I let you sleep any longer."

"How long was I asleep?" I asked, looking out the window to see that it was still dark outside, but you could just see the outline of the sun over the buildings, signalling it was about to rise.

"You slept through the night." She said and my eyes nearly popped out of my sockets.

"Did anything happen?" I asked frantically, wondering if he woke up and fell back asleep or if something went wrong. I felt upset with myself for falling asleep for so long.

"No, no, nothing happened. He hasn't woken up yet." She smiled sadly.

I sat back in my chair, running a hand through my hair as I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. I closed my eyes for a moment, still feeling a bit tired. I sighed as I moved my head and opened my eyes, knowing that if I didn't actually get up and move, I would fall asleep again, and I didn't want that. I stood up from the chair and told Cece and Bullfrog that I was just going for a walk and then I'll be back.

After I closed the door behind me, I leaned against it and closed my eyes, letting my head fall back. I took a deep breath before letting it out. I finally made my way down the bright hallway, trying to ignore the blaring lights. I hated how bright this place was. As I walked down the hallway, trying to clear my head, I crossed my arms over my chest and hugged myself and tried to avoid eye contact with anyone who passed me. I just kept walking while ignoring everyone around me.

I turned the corner and walked down an empty hallway, sighing in relief. I stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to rest my back against the wall, closing my eyes as I did so. The hallway wasn't as bright as the rest, and I was thankful for that. When I opened my eyes I couldn't help but grimace at my own reflection in the window. The girl staring back at me didn't look like me. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were puffy with dark circles under them, and the frown on her lips made her look even sadder than she already looked.

_Do I really look like that? _

I couldn't help but blame myself for the situation I am in. It is my fault Eli is lying in that hospital bed with that ugly ass gown on. It is my fault that his life was at risk. I just couldn't stay away from Eli, and it has caused everyone so much pain… and it's my entire fault.

I could feel my bottom lip quiver as these thoughts ran through my head. I closed my eyes and slammed my head on the wall behind me, letting the tears fall. I slid to the floor and brought my knees up to my chest as I cried. I gripped my hair in my hands and cried harder, wondering if the tears were ever going to stop. I let out a scream as my body shook, trying so hard to get out all of this anger I had towards myself. I was thankful that I was alone in this hallway; otherwise I would look like a nut case who belonged in the mental institution.

I was glad that no one would be able to see me right now; I was falling apart. I cried harder and I clutched my hand to my chest; I could barely breathe. My heart was so broken with the thought that maybe Eli won't ever wake up, and I was surprised to feel that it was still beating. The pain of thinking that I would be the reason for his death was unbearable. The thought of not seeing him everyday with that adorable smirk made my stomach knot. The thought of never seeing that smile that was meant for only me killed me inside.

I had to tell myself that he is going to be fine; that he will wake up and everything will be fine, just like the doctors had said, otherwise I would have went insane.

I couldn't handle being out here any longer with the thought that he might wake up and I wouldn't be there, so I stood up from the floor and wiped the tears from my face, taking one last look at my reflection in the window before I made my way back to the room.

When I got back, I noticed nothing had changed. Eli was still asleep, Cece and Bullfrog were still chatting with each other. I watched as they smiled at each other, and when Bullfrog grabbed Cece's hand and brought it to his lips and gave it a kiss, telling her that everything would be alright, I couldn't help the selfish thought that entered my mind. I wished that Eli was here so I could share that with him. I wanted it so badly to be me and him, and a tear had slipped out of my eye at the thought. I quickly wiped it away before I sat down in a chair.

"Clare, Bullfrog and I are going to get something to eat, would you like something?" Cece asked as they stood up.

"No thank you." I shook my head.

They nodded before they left, closing the door behind them. The room became quiet, the only sounds coming from the machine Eli was hooked up to. The beeping almost made me go insane, but I took a deep breath to try and calm myself.

I stood up and walked to the window, gazing outside. I wondered if I should call Imogen or Adam to see if they would come keep me company, but I decided against it. I shouldn't bother them.

For a moment I wondered where Chase was. I hoped he would get a life sentence, so he could rot in a cell where he belongs, but I knew that wasn't going to be the case. I hoped that I would never see his nasty face again. Just the thought of seeing him again makes my stomach churn in disgust. I wanted so badly to pull the trigger that night. I wanted to make him suffer, to show him the pain he had caused me, but I knew it wouldn't be worth it. If I had shot Chase, I most likely wouldn't be here right now. I'd probably be with the police, unable to see Eli, and that alone made me realize that it wouldn't be worth it.

My thoughts were cut short when I heard a groan from behind me, and my heart stopped. I gulped as I heard more noises coming from behind me. I slowly turned around and looked at Eli, feeling my eyes fill up with tears of relief as I saw him blinking. I brought my hands up to cup my mouth as I let the tears fall, my sobs muffled by my hands. And when the green eyes I had missed so dearly found my gaze, I tried desperately to stay on my feet. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and my stomach flutter as realization set in.

_He was okay._

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><p><strong>I spent way too much time on this. Haha. But I would appreciate it if you would review and let me know what you thought. Xoxo <strong>

***hearts***


	12. Playing The Blame Game

I Can't Stay Away Chapter Twelve

**Sorry for the wait. Had a little trouble with this chapter. **

**I'm sorry if there are any spelling mistakes; I think I missed a few when I read it over. **

**Hope you enjoy! :D**

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><p><em><strong>Clare's POV<strong>_

He was okay.

He's fine.

He's awake.

_Eli is awake_.

I continued to sob as I stood in front of the window. Eli watched me with soft eyes as I continued to cry into my hands, unable to stop long enough to say something. I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he was awake, that he was actually looking at me with those beautiful eyes. The last time I had seen those eyes they looked so dull, and I cried harder at that thought.

"I – I sh-should g-go find-d your – uh–" I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself before I spoke again. "I should go find your parents, or a nurse, or something." I said frantically, walking to the door quickly as I wiped my tears.

"Wait, Clare." Eli said, his voice hoarse, and I stopped in my tracks, turning to face him. "Come here."

He nudged his head, motioning that I come over to him as he pulled the blanket back. I walked over to him, my lip quivering as I lay down next to him. I let out a sob as more tears ran down my face. I didn't know if I would hurt him so I tried to be as careful as possible, making sure I wasn't directly touching him, even though I wanted to crush him to me.

He chuckled softly, "I'm okay, Clare, you don't have to be so careful." Eli said, noticing my uneasiness.

He sat up slowly and I frantically told him not to, but he shook his head, telling me it was fine as he pushed a button to make the bed sit up. I tried to fix his pillow, wanting him to feel comfortable, but my heart stopped when I heard him hiss in pain as he sat up. I quickly looked at him and he only gave me a shy smile as he laid back, his hand over the place where his wound lies. I could feel my eyes filling up with more tears as I realized it was my fault he was in pain.

"I'm sorry." I choked out. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. It's my fault. I–I'm sorry, I–"

My voice broke and Eli pulled me down to him and I cuddled into his side, crying into his shoulder as he pulled the blanket over us. He rubbed my back as he whispered sweet nothings into my ear, trying to calm me down. He kept telling me that it wasn't my fault, and that he was fine, and I knew he was, but I still couldn't stop the water works. He pulled me close and kissed my forehead as I continued to cry.

I lifted my head and looked him in the eyes as my hand cupped his cheek. He wiped away my tears as a frown took over his lips. Eli pulled his hand away and wrapped his arm around me, his eyes never leaving mine as I tried to calm down. I sniffled and hiccupped, and we both chuckled softly. I sighed and took a deep breath, my fingers tracing his jaw.

"I look like a mess." I mumbled as I wiped my eyes, finally calming down. I turned more and wrapped my arm around him, making sure it wasn't near his wound, and he rested his forehead against mine. I smiled and moved my hand up to his face, my fingers tracing his lips. He smiled and tucked a tangled curl behind my ear.

"You look beautiful." He told me, and I blushed as I looked into his eyes. I moved my hand to his neck and pulled him down, pressing my lips to his softly. I could feel a tear fall down my cheek as he responded to the kiss. It was the softest touch of our lips, but I couldn't be any happier. I pulled away and let out a shaky breath, my eyes closed. I felt him wipe away my tear and I smiled softly, opening my eyes to look at him.

"I missed you." I mumbled and cuddled my head into his chest. I could feel Eli running his fingers through my hair, and I closed my eyes, feeling calm. I listened to his heartbeat, glad that he was still alive.

"Before I forget…" Eli muttered and I made a noise as my eyes stayed closed, telling him to go on. "_I love you, too._"

My eyes snapped open. I felt my lip quiver once again and I got frustrated; when will the tears stop? I blinked rapidly, trying to dry my eyes before the water works started flowing. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop the few tears that slipped out of my eyes. I wiped them away and let out a shaky breath. I needed to get my shit together.

"You heard me…" I whispered softly as my fingers traced invisible designs on his chest.

"I did." Eli replied. "And I couldn't help but notice, that you said it first. We should have bet on this."

"If I could I would punch you right now." I told him. If he wasn't injured, I would have slapped him silly.

We lay there for a few minutes, cuddled in each other's arms, and I couldn't have felt happier. But, my thoughts were ruined when I realized we had to talk to Cece and Bullfrog. I know she said she wasn't mad or anything, but couldn't help but wonder if she only said that so she could break the news to both of us. Cece had said she wanted us to know the truth, and I hoped it would be about our parents. The secret they have was eating me up inside and I couldn't take it any longer. I want to know why it's so important that Eli and I didn't have any contact at all. It just made no sense to keep us apart if we have such strong feelings for each other.

"Be honest with me, okay?" Eli asked, and I looked up at him, giving him my full attention. "Does this gown make me look fat?"

He cracked a smirk and I laughed, cuddling into his shoulder. I wasn't expecting that. I thought that he had something serious to tell me. I lifted my head and smiled at him.

"Glad your sense of humour is still in tact." I told him, hitting his nose playfully with my pointer finger, smiling when he scrunched his face up. He was just so adorable.

Just as things were going good, the door to the room opened. I jumped up and out of the bed from instinct as I watched Cece and Bullfrog enter. Cece's eyes widened when she saw Eli, and I knew this moment had been ruined.

"You're awake!" Cece smiled happily as she ran to give Eli a hug. She cried happily into his shoulder and he hugged her back, looking a bit confused and worried. "Oh, baby boy, I missed you. No more Proms, okay?"

Eli chuckled softly and nodded, "Okay."

She pulled back from him and let Bullfrog hug his son. I watched the three of them share a family moment as I stood at the side of the bed, smiling. They were such a close family, and it made my heart ache to know that I will never have that again. My father isn't in the picture anymore, and that hurt, but I was glad that Eli at least had a happy family.

When everything had finally calmed down, Eli look at me with worried eyes, and I knew where this was going. He licked his lips and looked back at his mother, his face hesitant.

"We need to talk…" Eli said, his words trailing off. Cece cast a glance in my direction and gave me a small smile, knowing what he was going to say. I stepped closer to the bed and placed my hand in Eli's, my fingertips tracing his fingers.

"I told her already." I spoke up. Eli's eyes caught mine as he waited for the joke. He looked a bit sceptical when he looked back to his mom, raising an eyebrow.

"How long was I out?" He asked, unable to believe that we had had this conversation and I was still here.

"About three days." Cece answered. "You gave us a lot of time to talk." She smiled.

He blinked and switched his gaze between me and his parents. I smiled at him, trying to let him know that things were fine for now. He turned his gaze to his parents as he chewed on his bottom lip.

"So…?" Eli asked, raising his eyebrow. He looked a bit hesitant and worried, though he spoke again, anyways. "What's the verdict?"

I've wanted to know the answer to that question ever since I had spoken to Cece. The wonder that lingered in my mind for the past twenty-four hours had been eating me up inside. I watched as Cece looked at Bullfrog, and when he gave her a small smile and a nod, I could feel Eli's grip tightening on my hand. My heart was pounding in my ears, I felt like I was going to be sick, but I kept myself together as I waited for Cece's answer. And when she looked at us with soft eyes, her gaze landing on our hands and our faces, expecting them carefully, I couldn't help but hold my breath.

"I think that we should speak with Helen. But, as of right now… I'm fine with it."

Eli's eyes went wide as saucers and he sat up carefully before hugging his parents to him, letting go of my hand in the process. I could hear him muttering words to them, but I didn't pay attention. I was too filled with shock to do anything. I couldn't believe it. Cece had just said she was fine with our relationship. Eli and I were allowed to be together. Well, according to his parents, anyways. All we had to do is get my mom on board and everything will be fine.

But the most important question still lingered:_ what history do our parents have?_

* * *

><p>"Oh man, you look awful!" Adam exclaimed and he entered the room with Imogen trailing behind, a smile on her lips.<p>

"I think I look pretty good for someone who has been _shot_!" Eli spat back, a smirk playing at his lips. I frowned as I felt guilt creeping in.

"No dude, I mean that ugly ass gown you're wearing. Blue is just not your color." Adam smile as he tugged at the hem of the hospital gown Eli was wearing. Eli glared playfully at Adam before they shared a hug, nearly squishing me. I made a noise of discomfort and Adam pulled away, eyeing me with a smirk.  
>"Are you allowed to be there, Miss Edwards?"<p>

I blushed as I looked down at the position Eli and I were. Eli was pushed up more as I sat behind him as he lay between my legs, his head resting on my chest. I knew that if a nurse walked in they would most likely tell me I had to move, but it was just too comfortable to move. I hadn't been able to cuddle with Eli in three days and I figured I deserved this. Okay, maybe I didn't _deserve_ it, but I wanted it, and I knew Eli did, too. So, fuck it.

"Hey man, leave her alone." Eli said before snuggling into me. "She's comfy."

I smiled and kissed the top of his head before continuing to run my fingers through his hair. Imogen walked over and stood beside me, smiling. She leaned down to my ear and whispered, "Are you okay?"

Imogen pulled back to look at me and I gave her a small shrug, not really knowing if I was okay or not. I mean, I'm way beyond relieved that Eli is okay, but just knowing that it was my fault he was in this situation kind of killed my mood. No matter how many times everybody tells me it's not my fault, I can't get that voice that keeps telling me it _is_ my fault out of my head.

I tapped Eli's back and pushed him up gently, and he sat up, getting the hint. I climbed out form behind him and off of the bed. I fixed his pillow as he gave me a curious look.

"I'll be back. I'm just going out in the hallway to talk to Imogen." I told him.

He pressed his lips to a line but nodded nonetheless. I leaned down and gave him a soft kiss, wishing I could stay there forever, before leaving out the door with Imogen. Once we made it out into the hallway we began walking.

"How are you holding up?" Imogen asked. "I mean, with the whole situation with your parents and all."

"I told my mom; she seemed to be okay with it, though that just might have been because we were in a hospital and my boyfriend was unconscious." I let out a soft laugh, but Imogen knew it was just to cover up my pain, so she stayed quiet and let me continue. "Cece was actually completely fine with us being together. She still wants us all to sit down and talk about it, though. But for now, everything's good."

"That's good." Imogen smiled. "See, there was nothing to worry about."

She had a huge grin plastered on her lips, and I laughed at her expression. I knew she was only trying to cheer me up and it worked. I was thankful for that. But there was always going to be that voice in the back of my mind telling me that our happiness won't last forever.

I sighed, "Yeah, but we still haven't talked to my mom yet."

* * *

><p><em><strong>One Week Later<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Tick<em>

_Tock_

_Tick_

_Tock_

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get my leg to stop its rapid shaking. I couldn't block out the annoying sound of the clock ticking. I couldn't tear my gaze away from my mother's expression, although I wished I could. The way her eyes looked at me with shock and confusion and anger, I just couldn't take it. My mother had known that something was up, that Eli and I were somehow involved since I was so broken at the hospital, but she didn't have the full story. So, I decided she needed to know.

Eli was sitting next to me on the love seat, his eyes burning a whole in the wall while we waited for my mother to say something. Cece and Bullfrog were sitting on the couch, looking at my mother as she sat on the recliner. We had just finished explaining everything that happened ever since Eli and his parents had moved in. We explained that Cece and Bullfrog had no knowledge of mine and Eli's relationship, that they only found out a week ago when he was in the hospital. We told her that we couldn't keep our feelings inside no matter how much we tried. The news had shocked my mother, and the only thing I waited for was her outburst.

"Say something." I spoke up, my voice just above a whisper.

My mother cleared her throat. "What exactly are you asking me, Clare?"

I looked at her with disbelief. I blinked and said, "I want your permission. I want to know that you're okay with this."

"But I'm not."

My heart dropped.

I could feel tears threatening to pour, but I wouldn't let them. I clenched my jaw and tried to calm myself. I was not going to let this be the end of it. I was not going to give up this relationship without a fight.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because, Clare. I don't need to give you an explanation, I am your mother and you are going to obey me. I do not approve of this." Her eyes were dark and angered, her voice was stern, and I knew she wasn't going to give up. She had her mind set and there was a very slim chance that I would be able to change it.

I felt Eli grab my hand and kept my gaze on my mother as I tangled my fingers with his, holding on tightly. I could feel my heart breaking with every word that escaped my mother's mouth. Cece and Bullfrog were sitting there quietly, frowning at what my mother was saying. They exchanged sad looks before looking at us, knowing that this was probably the end.

I wasn't done yet, though.

"But I love him." I said through clenched teeth, my voice on the verse of breaking. My eyes were stinging with tears and I knew I couldn't hold out much longer.

My mother gave me a look of disgust. "Love is a strong word, Clare."

"I know that." I said. "The question is, do you? Do you even know what it's like to love someone? Because form the way I see it, you and dad sure as hell didn't love each other. No wonder he cheated on you." I spat harshly.

"Clare." Eli said firmly, tugging on my hand. I turned to look at him to see he was giving me a look, his eyes teary and pleading. I knew he didn't want me to make her more upset than she already was, knowing that it could cause even more damage. I took in a ragged breath, trying to calm myself.

When I turned to look at my mother again, ready to face her wrath, I was shocked to see that she looked sad. She didn't look angry or upset, she just looked sad, like she knew I was right.

My mother took in a ragged breath.

"Can I ask why?" I whispered softly. "Why don't you approve of this? I'm happy, so why can't you just accept it… for me?"

It was silent.

My mom just stared at me sadly. I saw her eyes flash over to Cece and Bullfrog before they landed on me once again.

"Oh my god." Cece gasped, causing everyone to look at her. "I know why you don't want them together. You still can't get over the fact that Bullfrog chose me instead of you!"

Wait, what?

* * *

><p><strong>OH HELL NO! <strong>

**Who saw that coming? ;) **

**One step closer to the truth! XD**

**Review and tell me what you guys think! *Hearts* **

**Xoxo **


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